


Xena and Gabrielle: The Hogwarts Years (Book 1)

by cchufflepuff



Series: The Hogwarts Years [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Pre-Relationship, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2020-06-02 07:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 51,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19436422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cchufflepuff/pseuds/cchufflepuff
Summary: Xena is faced with a tough decision. She knows she can be a hero, but she may not be worthy of the title. In the end, is the title worth the sacrifices she’d have to make? Meanwhile, Gabrielle an optimistic and spunky first year places Xena’s future plans in jeopardy and forces her onto a path of uncertainty.This story is meant to follow the reincarnations of Xena and Gabrielle, as well as other characters from the series, in the same universe as the show but a different timeline (set in the 1800s).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Xena: Warrior Princess or Harry Potter. They belong to very talented and wonderful people, and I will not profit from their creations.
> 
> Explanation of pre-relationship tag: Xena and Gabrielle won’t become a couple in this specific book, it will be happening later on in the series and I don’t want to be a tease about this or mislead anyone. Their relationship will be a big focus of the series, but I wanted to develop their friendship first so hopefully it feels more realistic when they become a couple.
> 
> A few changes to canon, (the new headmaster and minister in this series have a slightly different view on education than Dumbledore, also it made more sense for the story):  
> 1\. Students start Hogwarts at 14 years old  
> 2\. They go for 8 years of schooling instead of 7  
>    
> Temporary relationships: (Xena/Marcus, Gabrielle/Talus) will be present for part of the story, I wanted to provide a warning for that. They won't last the whole book though, and the parts are skippable if you don't really care as much about character development.
> 
> Contact me at any time through the comments section, my email cchufflepuff552@gmail.com, or PM me on reddit at cchufflepuff. Comments of any kind are welcome :)
> 
>   
> There will be slight violence and swearing, probably not anything above what you saw in either series but I'll give a warning on parts that are extra violent.

I've decided to change the 2nd chapter to my 1st chapter, story starts on the next page!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The second chapter felt more dynamic as a start to the story whereas the original first chapter seemed a bit unnecessary. I have a copy of the old first chapter (in case anyone preferred it as the beginning). Sorry for the messiness!


	2. Lieutenants and Aurors

Thousands of workers shuffled along the Ministry, some of which wore identical attire depending on what section of the Ministry they were employed, while others were dressed in slightly less formal uniform robes. Despite the slight variety amongst the crowd, some of the workers recognized Xena immediately and shot her the same type of angry, hate-filled glare she'd become all too familiar with over the years. Others walked by in a state of panic, their eyes deliberately fixed on the path ahead of them.

"Can I help you?" the clerk at the front desk asked.

"I'm here to the join the Aurors division," Xena said.

Not a moment passed before the clerk clutched at his chest and burst into a fit of laughter. "That's hilarious! You're more liable to show up on a list of Ministry's Most Wanted before being considered for a position as an Auror. They'll never let you in."

Xena remained still. She was unfazed by the clerk's sudden outburst of emotion. "I served my time. I've got the same rights as anyone else to enlist."

"A lifetime in Azkaban wouldn't be enough," he spat. His face was quickly turning a bright shade of red. "My wife died from an unforgivable curse! Don't you dare talk to me about serving your time!"

"Calm down Arnie, before you give yourself a heart attack." A Lieutenant who'd been watching the entire exchange from nearby placed a hand on the clerk's shoulder. His intense blue eyes glanced at Xena with sudden interest. "You are correct that you still hold the right to join my faction of agents. Whether or not you're qualified or possess the proper skillset is the real question."

"I have the skills," Xena said firmly.

"Then this should be a piece of cake. Follow me."

The Lieutenant led Xena to his office on the second floor of the Minisitry. On the door was a sign that read LIEUTENANT HARPER. The word HEAD AUROR appeared to be covered behind the words but was just visible enough for Xena to read.

"Right this way," Lieutenant Harper said. His office was slightly unkempt, with coffee and other items scattered on his desk. Several posters of famous Azkaban prisoners lined the walls, along with a large board of faces Xena didn't recognize, most likely suspects he was currently tracking down. It was clear that Lieutenant Harper spent most of his time here.

"Sorry about the mess. It's been a long year," he said. "Let me get your documents ready."

He began rustling through the many filing cabinets lined against the wall. When he finally found the folder he was looking for, he placed it on his side of the desk and motioned to the chair in front of him. "Have a seat."

He shuffled a few papers around and took a seat himself.

"I have to say we don't see many witches around this section of the Ministry. How'd your family react to your decision?"

"I don't have a family," Xena said simply, careful not to betray her true feelings on the matter.

He stared at her in surprise and for a moment looked as though he were going to say something, but thought better of it. He opened his folder to the first page. "Name?"

"Xena."

Harper raised an eyebrow. "Haven't heard that name in a while. I suppose it has been a few years since you were released."

"Just over 3," Xena said.

"I've studied every prisoner admitted to Azkaban since I started working here. Yours was the only case I've sympathized with. Hades, I'd of done the same thing if I'd been in your shoes."

Xena had heard a lot of reactions to her imprisonment over the years, but sympathy had never been one of them.

"'Course, that doesn't mean you've got a guaranteed spot with my unit. We'll have to look over your qualifications first." Lieutenant Harper pulled out a pair of glasses and after tapping the page with his wand, brought it closer to his face. "Very fortunate you're signing on during Minister McPhail's leadership. Most Ministers discount anyone with past criminal offenses but McPhail's entrusted me to make that decision for myself." He pulled the page so close now, it was almost pressed against his nose. He stopped scanning. "Ah, says here you've only got 3 years of wizarding school. The minimum requirement is 4 and passing scores on your N.E.W.T.s."

"Give me any test and you'll see that I'm far above my grade level in terms of skills," Xena said.

"You're confident, I'll give you that," he said, laughing slightly in amusement. "But you'll have to finish another year of Hogwarts, or any wizarding school of your choosing, first."

Going back to wizarding school was last on the list of things Xena wanted to do. "I'm stronger than half the men on your team," she argued. "I could lead an entire army of men if I had to."

"I don't doubt it."

"I'm not afraid of dying in the line of duty," she said. "You could use someone like me on your team."

"Everyone's afraid of death," Lieutenant Harper said. "We can pretend we're not until we're blue in the face but the fact of the matter is we all fear it."

"Not when you have nothing to live for. Hogwarts is a waste of time," Xena said angrily. The Lieutenant who appeared to have been expecting an angry reaction remained calm, though he did appear sympathetic towards the situation. For a moment Xena actually thought he might say yes.

He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry Xena. But I can't make any exceptions. Come back next year and I'll personally see to it as long as you pass your physical, you're accepted onto my team. Just stick it out another year and you'll be a prime candidate."

When Xena said nothing he continued, "I know that's not what you wanted to hear but those requirements exist for a reason. You have to be mentally prepared to handle the situations we go through. I'm sorry."

Xena was about to leave when Lieutenant Harper suddenly spoke. "I know that no matter how angry Cyrene is with what you've done, she still loves you with all her heart."

Xena felt her body tense at the mention of her mother's name. "How do you know my mother?"

"I didn't mean that as a threat," he said quickly. "Many moons ago your mother and I went to Hogwarts together. It's been years since I've seen her, but she always helped me see my true potential, even when I didn't deserve it. We got into quite a bit of trouble, me and your mother. She wasn't as strict as I was with following the rules, it really got me to open up..." the Lieutenant trailed off. He appeared so lost in the memory he seemingly forgot Xena was there. "The point is I was there when you and Toris were born. She loved you kids more than anything in the world, no matter how angry she is with your actions. She went through a rough grieving period, but that doesn't mean she stopped loving you. I don't believe she ever could."

Xena once again said nothing. As much as she wanted it to be true her mother didn't love her. She hadn't in a long time.

"Just be careful, Xena," Lieutenant Harper said. "A lonely life is a dangerous one. It may seem like the easier option, but it's never the better one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide
> 
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Ministry of Magic: government building for the wizarding world, located in Britain, where various members of the government work.
> 
> Aurors: Police Officers for the wizarding world. Originally I thought it would be more in character if Xena was applying for the military, but it appears to be no military for wizards (as far as I know) so I thought this would make sense.
> 
> Azkaban: Prison for the worst prisoners. If someone were to perform any one of the 3 unforgivable curses (Cruciatus, Imperius, Killing) they would be given a life sentence for Azkaban. Given Xena’s young age when she cast one she got a much lighter sentence.
> 
> N.E.W.T.s.: exams known as the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, they are given to students in their 7th year at Hogwarts (I chose to make it the fourth year of Hogwarts because students would be within the same age range).


	3. Trains and The Call of Fate

Xena pushed her trolley down the crowded train station at King’s Cross. Several students wandered around with their parents, making their way to platform 9 and 3 quarters while pointing to various attractions along the way. Although the absence of her mother was hard on Xena, she didn’t allow herself to show it. She carried on as stoic and cold as she needed to be so nobody would try and get close to her. She didn’t have the emotional strength to handle hurting someone else she loved, and the only way to prevent that was to limit the amount of people she could possibly place in that situation.

All in all, the trip to Hogwarts had been uneventful. She’d went on with the normal routine, eager to get the year done and over with as quickly, and quietly, as she possibly could. It sounded good in theory, but Xena knew the likelihood of a peaceful year at Hogwarts was overwhelmingly slim. That doubt only grew stronger when she heard a familiar voice around the corner. Xena rolled her eyes. It wasn’t hard to guess what he was up to, he did the same thing every year to the freshman students.

Xena parked her trolley somewhere far away from the busyness where she knew Argo would be safe and moved nearer to the scene. She was just close enough to see what was happening without being spotted. Three boys were facing a group of five girls, their wands pointed in offensive positions. Xena recognized the boys right away, all of them fourth years. As usual, Julius appeared to be taking the lead, although Draco wasn’t giving him all the power, and Marcus remained silent throughout the whole thing. Xena wasn’t surprised as Marcus had always been like that in all the years she’d known him; he followed orders well, but never gave any of his own.

One of the girls had her arms wrapped closely around another girl, slightly younger than her, who was shaking in fear. Both had hair with wild curls and were nearly identical in terms of facial structure. They were sisters, or at the very least related to one another.

“It’s in your best interest to do as we tell you,” Julius said. “Since I was a boy I’ve known my prophecy. To rule the most powerful of nations, with more followers than the mightiest of Gods. The sooner you join my side, the better your future will be.”

“Spare us Julius. My grandmother’s more intimidating than you, and she’s been dead for years,” Draco said with a smug look in his eyes. Xena couldn’t help but smirk, anytime Julius’s ego took a hit Xena was happy.

“Believe what you want but my destiny is written in the stars. The fates have made it so.”

Draco rolled his eyes when Julius wasn’t looking. “Now,” Julius said directing his gaze to the scared girl. “We can start with you. Follow me.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you,” her older sister said.

When the scared girl did not comply Julius prepared to cast a spell at her and Xena decided it was time to intervene. She was about to move forward when one of the girls ran in front of the young girl instead. Curious, Xena wanted to see how everything played out first. Maybe they wouldn’t need her help after all.

“I’ll do it,” the blonde girl said. “I can be your servant for the year, I’ll do whatever you ask of me. Just leave the others alone.”

Just as Julius was about to accept the girl’s offer Xena stepped forward and into view. She smiled at Julius but said nothing to announce her presence. She didn’t need to.

“Xena,” Julius glared. “You’re looking as worn out as ever.”

“You always know how to make a girl feel special,” Xena countered, not at all bothered by his attempt at an insult.

“I’m glad you’re here Xena,” Julius said. “This will give me a chance to prove my point in front of all these witnesses. You’re making this far too -”

Before Julius could finish Xena had waved her wand and conjured a disarming spell strong enough to send his wand flying from his hand and into Xena’s. She knocked him to the ground with another spell and he landed squarely on his back.

Draco smiled broadly. He clearly liked the look of Xena disarming Julius, and Marcus seemed to like it as well. At this point the first years Julius had been threatening started to laugh and Julius’s face grew redder in embarrassment.

“You’ve made a grave mistake today Xena.” Julius said, his eyes narrowing. Still laughing, Draco offered him a hand but Julius shoved it away angrily and stood up on his own. “My destiny is fated for success, I wonder what yours is fated for.”

\--------------------------------------------------------

After the girls gave their thanks to Xena for saving them she left in a hurry. There was one compartment in particular with her name written all over it, and she was more than ready to isolate herself away from all the noise and people.

She could practically imagine the feeling of tranquil quiet, until a loud voice came booming from behind her.

“Hey - wait up!”

Xena kept her eyes forward and continued moving ahead, hoping the owner of the voice would come to the realization that she wasn’t interested in making any friends this year until suddenly Xena felt her arm being pulled on.

She whirled around angrily. It was one of the girls with blonde hair who had offered to be Julius’s servant earlier. Instead of being curly, her hair was straight, and she wore bangs that nearly hung low enough to cover her eyes. “What do you think you’re doing? Are you suicidal?”

The girl backed away. “Sorry I -” She quickly regained her composure. “I just can’t believe how you - I mean that thing you did back there was incredible. You didn’t even have to say the incantation and - and then he was on the ground.”

“Mmm,” was all the response Xena was willing to give.

“Is that what they teach you here?” the girl asked.

“Umm no. Not really.”

Her smile quickly disappeared. “Oh.”

Xena started to head away when the girl practically jumped out in front of her. It was almost enough to make Xena jump and she wasn’t one to scare easily.

“How’d you learn to do it? Any wizard I’ve ever known - well they all have to say the name of the spell before casting it. I mean I guess I don’t know that many wizards being muggle-born and all but -”

“I have many skills,” Xena said, cutting her off abruptly. One corner of her mouth rose slightly in amusement. This girl sure wasn’t getting the hint that Xena wanted to be left alone.

“I’ll bet you’re the greatest wizard of your year - maybe even the whole school!” the girl mused. “I only wish I could be as talented a witch as you.”

“I do alright.”

“Gabrielle! There you are Gabrielle -” A boy about the same age as Gabrielle came bustling forward. “I’ve been looking everywhere. We need to board the train now, you can socialize later.”

Now was Xena’s chance to escape the small overly enthusiastic girl. She turned around but not in time to spot the runaway trolley that was about to barrel into her. With only a split second to react she braced herself for impact -

But it never came.

“You’ve got quick hands but maybe not the greatest eyesight,” Gabrielle teased, though her voice was gentle. She placed a hand on Xena’s shoulder. “You alright?”

“Fine,” Xena replied simply. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Gabrielle smiled. Then she turned back to the boy who’d been trying to locate her earlier. “And Perdicus, just because we’re betrothed doesn’t mean you get to boss me around. I’ll come to the train when I’m ready.”

Not even two seconds later and she was by Xena’s side once again.

“So, where are you headed now?” the young girl asked curiously. “On the train I mean.”

“I was hoping to get the compartment in the back.”

“Do you mean the very last one? All the way at the end?”

Xena recognized what she was doing immediately.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“What?” Gabrielle asked, feigning innocence.

“Following me.”

Gabrielle’s face fell once again. “Please, you have to teach me everything you know. I don’t want to be one of those girls who stands by and let’s things happen just because I’m not strong enough to defend herself.”

Xena only wished she’d had someone to lead her away from the lifestyle she had now a long time ago, she had no intention of dragging someone else into it.

“Like I said, I travel alone.” And with that, Xena was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide  
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Expelliarmus: Spell used to knock something (commonly a wand) out of someone else’s hand, used by Xena when disarming Julius.
> 
> Flipendo (Knockback Jinx): Spell powerful enough to throw someone backwards, used by Xena after she uses Expelliarmus.
> 
> Xena: Warrior Princess Terms  
> The Fates: In Greek mythology, The Fates are known for their responsibilities in controlling when a person dies. Each person is given a thread of string, and when that string is cut (The Fates use a pair of scissors to sever the string completely) that person dies.
> 
> I will be citing any lines of dialogue that or either the same as or strongly resembling dialogue from both series in chapters where this occurs. 
> 
> References
> 
> Glueckman, A. J. (Writer), & Leo, M. D. (Director). (1996). The black wolf. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.
> 
> Stewart, R. J. (Writer), & Becker, J. (Director). (1996). Warrior...Princess...Tramp. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.
> 
> Tapert, R., Stewart, R. J.,(Writer), & Lefler, D. (Director). (1995). Sins of the past. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.


	4. Old Compartments and Talks of the Past

Without any further interruptions Xena was able to reach her favorite compartment on the train, and at this moment she was ready to close her eyes and enjoy the quiet, peaceful feeling as she sank into the soft cushions.

Unfortunately for Xena the quiet, peaceful feeling lasted all of two seconds until the compartment door slid open with an ear-splitting screech.

“I thought I told you -”

“You travel alone, yeah I know.” Gabrielle stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with a confidence that suggested she wasn’t going to let a fourth year scare her out of anything. “I’m not going to address that statement right now because of how ridiculous it is. But -”

“Why is it ridiculous?” Xena asked.

“Well because - I mean nobody ‘travels alone’ on purpose,” she said. “My mother says a person either does it because they don’t know what it’s like to have a friend, or because they’re too scared to open themselves up to others again after being hurt before.”

“Is that so?” Xena asked, suddenly uncomfortable with how truthful the statement was.

“Mmhmm. Everyone’s happier with a companion,” Gabrielle said with added enthusiasm.

But Xena knew better than that. Nothing could compare to the feeling she’d had when she lost her younger brother Lyceus. The pain was just as strong today as it had been all those years ago. Certainly, that amount of pain wasn’t worth the risk of opening your heart and truly caring about someone.

“Doesn’t matter either way. I’m not the type of person you want to be friends with.”

“Why not?”

Xena hated talking about her past. It was as if the horrible feelings resurfaced, no matter how strongly she wanted to push them away they would always be there. “I used to be just like those boys who were bullying you back there. I even dated one of them.”

Gabrielle wrinkled her face, making no attempt to hide her disgust. “Which one?”

“Julius,” Xena said. “He thought he was gonna be a big shot wizard. The conqueror of Slytherin, and eventually Rome.”

Gabrielle snorted. “Let me guess, he didn’t hold up to those standards.”

“No. He didn’t.”

Gabrielle laughed, and Xena realized they were straying from her purpose of the conversation.

“Gabrielle the point is, I was a horrible person,” Xena said. “Everyone was scared of me. They still are.”

“I’m not.”

Xena’s expression hardened. “That’s because you don’t know me.”

“I don’t know who you used to be, no,” Gabrielle agreed. “But I do know that right now, in the present time, you saved me and a bunch of other first years from some real trouble back there. And I heard you helped that Hercules guy save someone last term.”

“That doesn’t even come close to erasing the bad I’ve done.”

“But it is a start!” Gabrielle said. “And I can help you continue being good. You don’t have to be alone for the rest of your life, Xena. If you want I can help you.”

“Gabrielle I’m telling you I’m not worth it,” Xena said, getting more irritated by the minute.

“And I’m telling you, you are. With that much power and talent, you could do a lot of good.” A mischievous smile suddenly formed on Gabrielle’s face, as if she was sure she had the upper hand now. “Plus, you know, I did save you from that trolley back there. You could’ve lost a limb, or suffered a serious head injury by hitting that wall. The least you can do is give it one shot. That’s it. That’s all I’m asking.”

Xena laughed silently to herself. If she had been hit by the trolley, the injury would have been minimal at most. But she had to admire Gabrielle’s gumption.

“I’m not gonna be able to get rid of you am I?”

“Nope.”

_Alright. She can stay for the train ride and a few training sessions_ , Xena decided. _But that’s all._

“Yeah, what you said is true. But I saved you first. Wouldn’t that make us even?”

Gabrielle suddenly looked like a soldier defeated in battle. “I mean I guess if you really don’t want me around I -”

“Never said I didn’t want you around, just that I saved you first,” Xena teased, a slight smile forming again.

Confused, Gabrielle stared at Xena for a moment. “Wait, does that mean that -”

“Yes Gabrielle. You can stay.” Gabrielle lit up. “And I’ll teach you how to defend yourself. As long as you promise to follow all of my conditions.”

If Gabrielle wasn’t excited before, she was now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide
> 
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Slytherin: One of four houses students are placed into, which determines where they sleep, what classes they will take, and what traits they value the most. These will be explained in more detail later.
> 
> Xena: Warrior Princess Terms  
> Hercules: Part of Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus.


	5. Evil Girls and Chocolate Frogs

Throughout the course of the train ride, several students made the mistake of entering their compartment. As soon as they saw Xena they were gone in a flash, but not before apologizing profusely as if being in the mere presence of Xena was committing a crime. Gabrielle wasn’t completely surprised though, she knew how famous Xena was at the school. She’d heard a story of her and Hercules battling a Nine-Headed Hydra with nothing but her bare hands. Maybe the bare hands thing was an exaggeration, and even if it was, Gabrielle could see why others would be intimidated by the tall woman. Although she was only a fourth year, she had a maturity about her that made it look as though she had experience of the world well beyond her biological age.

Gabrielle couldn’t help but notice how stunningly beautiful Xena was. In all the time she’d been alive she’d never met someone who had such a blatantly attractive physical appearance, not to mention intense. Every move she made seemed to be calculated, yet at the same time completely effortless. The whole experience of being around her felt surreal to Gabrielle, almost like Xena didn’t actually exist at all. As if Gabrielle was part of a strange dream where she couldn’t quite figure out was going on or how to piece everything together.

More than all of that was the sadness that never seemed to leave Xena’s side. As much as Gabrielle had tried to distract her from it by doing the one thing she knew she was good at, nothing she said seemed to work. It felt more like she was talking to a wall than an actual human being, but she also didn’t want to give up either.

After a while of Gabrielle recounting various stories, a trolley filled with sweets was rolled into their compartment. A man who clearly wanted to be anywhere but where he was in that moment, plastered on a fake grin and asked, “Fancy anything to eat?”

Gabrielle stared longingly at the candy. It wasn’t a full meal and surely it wouldn’t sate the intense hunger she was feeling at that moment, but it was something. Too bad she didn’t have any money with her. Or at least not enough that she could afford to spend it so carelessly.

“No thanks.” Xena looked questioningly at Gabrielle, probably sensing how desperate she was to put something, anything into her stomach.

The man turned to Xena. “How ‘bout you miss?”

“7 chocolate frogs.”

_Chocolate frogs? What in Hades brown eyes is a chocolate frog?_ Gabrielle wondered. Being a muggle-born wizard had its disadvantages and not knowing what people were talking about half the time was one of them.

“Want one?” Xena asked once the trolley was gone.

“No - no Xena I couldn’t…” she sat still for a moment, trying to decide. “I mean you bought them, you should be the one to eat them.”

“Why do you think I bought 7? There’s no way I can eat that many of these,” Xena said simply.

“No that’s too generous, and I don’t have the money to pay you back.”

“Consider it a gift. For saving my life earlier.” Then came another smirk.

“Good point. I mean who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t been there.”

Xena handed one of the packages over to Gabrielle.

“Thanks Xena. I really do appreciate it.”

Gabrielle stared at the wrapping for a moment, trying to figure out just how to open the small package of candy. There was also the fact that she had no idea what the candy was, and the word frog certainly made her a little hesitant. Was there actually a chocolate covered amphibian in there? Gabrielle almost threw up at the thought.

Xena arched her eyebrow knowingly. “Here. They’re a lot easier to open with one of these.” She whipped out a dagger and Gabrielle flinched.  
Ignoring Gabrielle’s obvious fear at the sight of the weapon, Xena held it at the middle of the box and stabbed it gently. “Try not to pierce the dagger all the way through the other side. You’ll cut your hand and ruin the witches and wizards card on the back.”

Witches and wizards card, that sounded cool. But Gabrielle still wondered why a weapon was even necessary in the first place.

“Is there - umm - is there a real frog in there?” she asked nervously. “My parents aren’t actual wizards, so we don’t really eat stuff like this at home and -”

“No frog. Just chocolate.”

“Ok - yeah that’s good,” Gabrielle nodded. “Wait, that doesn’t explain the dagger though.”

“The chocolate’s enchanted to move like a frog. If you don’t have quick reflexes you’ll lose it.” Xena explained. “We used to get these a lot back home in Amphipolis. My brother Toris was always losing his.” She smiled briefly at the memory.

“What year is he?” Gabrielle asked, interested in learning more about Xena. She certainly wasn’t the type who shared personal stuff often, so Gabrielle figured she might as well get to know her better while she could.

“Eighth,” she said.

“I’ve got a little sister. Her name is Lila,” Gabrielle said. “But she’s not a witch as far as I know. Perdicus is one of the only ones I know from my town who got invited here.”

“That boy you were talking to earlier?” Xena asked.

“Yes that’s the one.”

“Are you two really betrothed?”

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. “No. Not in the customary sense of the word. But my parents have been pushing it ever since we were kids. I have no doubt they’ll be arranging our marriage some day.”

“He seems like a nice guy,” Xena said.

“He just - well he doesn’t interest me,” Gabrielle explained. “And he isn’t the brightest wand in Ollivander’s if you know what I mean. Anyway he’s a sweet boy and I do care for him deeply, just not in that way.” She paused and looked away  
guiltily. “I have been a bit hard on him lately...I just don’t know how to act around him anymore. Have you ever experienced that? You must have. I bet all the guys at school are falling over each other to date you”

“I guess,” Xena said nonchalantly. She handed Gabrielle the dagger. “Let’s get this box open before you pass out from hunger.”

Gabrielle nodded, she had started to feel lightheaded. Her face was probably pale too.

Xena placed her hands over Gabrielle’s to help guide the motion. Her breath caught for a moment from the sudden contact. “Thanks,” she said shyly, not sure why she suddenly felt so strange.

“Ok. Now it’s safe to open.”

Gabrielle did so, noting the sweet taste as it melted on her tongue. Xena grabbed a package for herself.

“Wait don’t you need the -”

“Nope.” The frog hopped out and just as Xena had warned, jumped around like it were really living. It made its way to the window so fast Gabrielle could barely comprehend what was happening before -

“Oh no ya don’t.” With lightning fast reflexes, Xena was able to catch the frog before Gabrielle could blink. In that same moment, the compartment door slid open, only this time the girl that entered didn’t look frightened at the sight of Xena.

“Xena...thought I’d find you here,” the girl said. Something about the way she spoke, the way she held herself, sent chills down Gabrielle’s spine. She waited silently for a moment, not sure how Xena would react to this girl.

To Gabrielle’s surprise, Xena didn’t send the new girl away. She gave a small nod of acknowledgment and motioned to the spot next to her.

Gabrielle smiled politely at the brunette girl as she took a seat, but she wasn’t kind enough to return the favor. Instead her beetle black eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Why is she here?”

“Because I said she could be,” Xena challenged.

The girl smiled mischievously, clearly enjoying the banter. She held her hand out for Gabrielle to shake, but her eyes were cold, like she would just as soon kill Gabrielle as be her friend. Either way, Gabrielle didn’t like her, and it was unusual for  
her to dislike someone so quickly without getting a chance to know them first. “And what’s the bitches name?”

_Answer her Gabrielle, you don’t want to get on her bad side._

Gabrielle tried her best to hide the fear in her voice, “I’m - my name is Gabrielle.”

Xena pushed the girl’s hand away before Gabrielle could reach it and shot her a dangerous glare. “Alright Alti, that’s enough.”

“What? I was just having a little fun,” Alti grinned. “Anyway, Gabrielle here can handle it, can’t you?”

“Either tell me what you came here to tell me,” Xena warned, “or leave.”

“Not the warm welcome I was expecting,” Alti sneered. She surveyed Gabrielle again, clearly trying to determine whether she could be trusted with whatever information she was about to give. Gabrielle tried to appear as naive and non-threatening as possible, partly because she didn’t want to experience just what kind of pain Alti was capable of inflicting, but also because she wanted to know what was so important she wanted it kept a secret.

“I found the Taelamon ruby. It’s in the castle.”

Xena’s eyes widened, it was more expression than Gabrielle had seen the warrior convey the entire train ride.

“It was destroyed,” Xena said confused.

“That’s what they wanted us to believe.”

“What’s the Taelamon ruby?” Gabrielle asked in a sudden rush of bravery. Alti glanced at her for a second, then returned her attention to Xena as though she hadn’t said anything at all.

“And here’s the tricky part. See it’s hidden in a room guarded by an Occamy. Apparently they didn’t want people finding it.”

“Evidently.” Xena sat for a moment, soaking in the information. “How are we supposed to get it then?”

"Oh I'll find it,” Alti promised, her voice low and sinister.

Gabrielle shivered. She was left with more questions than she'd had before, the biggest one being, why was Alti so determined to get this ruby? What exactly could it do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide
> 
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Witches and Wizards Cards: Trading cards in the packaging of the Chocolate Frog. They have pictures of various famous witches and wizards on one side, and are considered collectibles to some people.
> 
> Ollivander’s: Is a wand shop where students are able to purchase their wands.
> 
> Occamy Creature with a bird-like head and serpent’s body. They can change drastically in size and are fiercely protective of their young. I’ll provide more details on them later in the story.
> 
> Xena: Warrior Princess Terms  
> Nine-Headed Hydra: Monstrous creature that has a snake-like appearance and multiple heads. When one head is cut off, several more grow in their place.
> 
> Hades: Main God of the underworld.
> 
> References
> 
> Becker, J., Perez, J., Armus, A., Foster, N. K.,(Writer), & Cokeliss, H. (Director). (1995). Chariots of war. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.
> 
> Tapert, R., Stewart, R. J.,(Writer), & Lefler, D. (Director). (1995). Sins of the past. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.


	6. Plans and Warnings

Gabrielle stayed near silent for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts and Xena couldn’t help but feel guilty. She should’ve pushed Gabrielle out as soon as Alti entered the picture regardless of how badly it would have made her feel. Alti was dangerous, and putting someone on her radar, especially someone as young and naive as Gabrielle, was not a good idea.

“Why did you let her stay for so long?” Alti said once they’d left the train. “Don’t tell me you’re going soft on me.”

“I owed her a favor. That’s all.”

“You owed her a favor?” Alti looked like she was on the verge of a rampage. “That’s why you let her hear the plan? I thought you trusted her. She could ruin everything for us.”

“She won’t.”

“She’d better not Xena. Because if she does, our little deal is over and I won’t share the slightest bit of that ruby’s power with you.”

Xena took a deep breath. She needed that ruby.

“I promise you Alti, she won’t.”

“Good. But just to be sure, I don’t want you hanging around her anymore.” Alti said. “I see you around that blonde little bitch again and neither of you will live to tell about it.”

Xena knew there was no way Alti could defeat her. It was part of the reason Alti hadn’t attempted it already. But Gabrielle didn’t stand a chance against her, that was the real threat Alti was making.

Xena now found herself wishing she’d never met Alti. It had happened her second year at Hogwarts, Atli had reminded Xena a lot of herself. Both were recuperating from a tragic past where they’d lost someone important to them. They’d spent their time at Hogwarts becoming two of the most hated and feared students at the school, along with Julius and Draco. In a dark way it was rewarding, they had the power to do just about anything they wanted to, and nobody dared to stop them.

But something had changed at the end of the second year term, something that had brought Xena’s conscience back with a vengeance, and she hadn’t been able to rid herself of it since.

Xena glanced back over where Gabrielle was chatting with a group of first years. _Perfect. She can befriend them and forget about me. Please forget about me Gabrielle, for your own good._

Just as Xena was about to turn back to Alti and head to the castle, Gabrielle spotted her and parted from the students she’d been talking to.

“Hey Xena!” she said rushing forward.

_Go back Gabrielle, go back._

“Don’t forget what I said,” Alti whispered in Xena’s ear. Then she was gone.

“Apparently the first years ride to the castle by boat,” Gabrielle said once she was close enough to be heard. Xena wondered if the young girl ever ran out of energy, she seemed as though she’d just downed a gallon of caffeine. “You know, I’ve never been on a boat before. I’m a little nervous about it. My father always said he got seasick so that’s why he never -”

“Shouldn’t you be over there now?” Xena interrupted, hoping it would prompt her to leave. “You don’t wanna miss out.”

“Of course, I just - well I wanted to see what the plan was, you know, with the whole teaching me to fight thing.” Gabrielle said casually in an attempt to mask some of her excitement. “I figure maybe we’ll have time right after class, but it would be awfully hard to sneak out with all the teachers around,” she considered. “Well maybe if we -”

“Gabrielle I don’t know if that’s such a good idea anymore -” Xena started.

“Wait don’t tell me you’re backing out.” Gabrielle looked like a young child who’d just lost their favorite toy. “Xena you promised me you would help. Please, if you want something in return I’ll be happy to give it. Anything you want. Well, except money…” her voice was suddenly quiet, “but that’s really the only thing. You know anything else, you name it, and I’ll get it for you. Well almost anything...”

Xena had the words ready to say, all she had to do was open her mouth and say them; but for some reason she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. _There’s got to be a way to train her without Alti finding out._

“We’ll have to train in the morning, the hour before classes start,” Xena said. “I’ve got an invisibility cloak, it should allow me to sneak into your common room at night without being seen. But you’ll have to let me inside with you.”

“Invisibility cloak.” Gabrielle nodded. “Got it.”

“You can’t sleep in the dorm room with the others because I don’t know how loud you’ll be when I go to wake you.”

“Ok not a problem. Where should I sleep?”

“There’ll be a couch downstairs on the main floor,” Xena explained. “Sleep there.”

“Alright.”

“And Gabrielle, you can’t tell anyone you’re training with me.” Xena warned. “We have to keep this between us.”

Gabrielle looked a little confused. “Alright.”

“It’s very important that nobody finds out,” Xena said, really wanting to get her point across. “I want you to promise me you aren’t going to tell anyone.”

Gabrielle still looked confused, but she seemed to grasp that this was a serious situation and didn’t argue. “I promise.”

“Good. Meet me an hour before curfew, in the courtyard. Most students will be inside by then.”

“Ok.” Gabrielle’s eyes suddenly twinkled with hope. “Hey, maybe we could meet in the courtyard a little earlier. I heard gobstones is really fun - although I’m sure you’re a pro at that too...”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Xena said. “It’s best if we don’t contact eachother outside of the whole training business.”

“But on the train - you said you would give the whole doing good hero gig a chance...” Gabrielle argued. “With my help, of course. You haven’t changed your mind have you?”

“I said I would let you stay in the compartment with me and that I would teach you some defensive spells,” Xena said. “That’s all I agreed to.”

Gabrielle didn’t look ready to back down just yet.

“You could really change people’s lives,” she said. “You could make a real difference. Xena if you’ll just try -”

“I told you Gabrielle, I’m not that person.”

Gabrielle nodded, clearly disappointed. “Hey Xena, about that ruby you and Alti were talking about -”

“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with -”

“But -”

“Gabrielle,” Xena said forcefully. “Drop it.”

“Okay,” Gabrielle said, surprised at Xena’s harsh reaction. “I guess I’d better join the rest of the first years. See you tonight.”

“Alright,” Xena said, turning around and starting the path to the castle.

“Trouble in paradise?” a boy asked. Xena instantly recognized the voice, although she’d sensed his presence long before he’d spoken the words. She stopped walking the trail to the school and turned to face him.

“What are you doing here, Ares?” she asked.

“Oh nothing, just wanted to see what my favorite warrior princess is up to.” He snapped his fingers and a spark appeared. “So, who’s the blonde? Should I be jealous?”

“We both know you have a snowball’s chance in Tartarus with me Ares,” Xena said, pretending to be bored of the conversation.

“But that’s something, right?” He winked.

“Get on with it Ares. What do you really want?”

Ares paused for dramatic effect. “What I always want Xena, you.”

“Well I already told you how likely that is.”

“Yeah yeah, snowball’s chance in tartarus. I got all that.” He sighed dramatically. “I just don’t think you’re giving me enough of a chance here. We could be the greatest, Xena. An entire army of wizards at our fingertips. People bowing to our every whim. I think that speaks for itself, don’t you?”

“Forget it Ares. I’m not starting an army with you.”

“Ah well, at least I tried.” Xena rolled her eyes. “And if you change your mind, which let’s face it is bound to happen eventually. I’ll be just a name call away.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared, Xena’s hopes of a quiet year at Hogwarts disappearing along with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide
> 
> Xena: Warrior Princess Terms  
> Tartarus: Part of the underworld where bad people are severely punished.
> 
> Ares: God of War.
> 
> References
> 
> Stewart, R. J.,(Writer), & Hurst, M. (Director). (1995). A day in the life. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.


	7. Boat Rides and The Goddess of Love

Once the start-of-term feast had commenced, the first years were led to the boats by Abner Hagrid, a half-giant with long blond hair and a bushy beard that extended just below his chest. Hagrid paired all of the students into groups of four and it wasn’t long before they were riding along the Black Lake, slowly making their way to the castle.

It was an experience that should have added to the excitement of the day. Instead, Gabrielle found herself desperately clinging to the edges of the boat every time they crossed a particularly rocky stretch of water, her nausea growing increasingly unbearable as the ride went on.

To pass the time Gabrielle had brought along a few books, and she’d decided to bring one onto the boat in the off-chance that she may get an opportunity to read it. This time it was Iphigenia at Aulis, a personal favorite. There was something about Euripides work that resonated with Gabrielle. It was beautifully written, albeit a bit confusing at times, and Gabrielle did enjoy the challenge of deciphering the true meaning behind his words, even if she preferred a more straightforward approach to storytelling.

As much as she enjoyed the story, her attempt to read it was becoming more and more pointless as the words began to blur together on the page. Her brain was so clouded by the nausea she could barely comprehend a word she read.

“Hey, are you alright?” the boy sitting next to her asked.

“No. I think I might be dying actually.” Gabrielle hugged the side of the boat once more and tried to keep the contents of her lunch inside of her, with no success. If this was seasickness, it was the worst feeling in the world.

“I hate to say it but that’s not going to help any,” the boy said pointing to the book in Gabrielle’s hands. His voice was kind and gentle, and even though Gabrielle didn’t know him she could tell he was a genuine person.

Gabrielle suddenly felt very guilty, she’d ignored him this entire time. It wasn’t like Gabrielle to be so unsociable. But truth be told she’d expected to have been paired with Perdicus, which admittedly, would have been a very uncomfortable experience. The book was meant as a buffer. She’d ended up deciding to read it simply because she had it there, and one girl in their boat, who was dressed to the nines despite being in her school uniform, had taken to complaining about everything she could possibly complain about; leading Gabrielle and the other two passengers to avoid talking themselves. _That’s no excuse for being inconsiderate_.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been rude this entire ride here and…” Gabrielle trailed off with an uncharacteristic shyness that took her by surprise. His smile was so sweet she couldn’t help but blush a little. “I’m Gabrielle.”

“Well Gabrielle it’s very nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Talus.”

They shook hands.

“By the way there’s no need to apologize for getting involved in a good book. I remember one time when my mother actually grounded me for reading too much.”

Gabrielle laughed. “She didn’t.”

“Oh yes. She snuck into my room in the middle of the night and stole right it from my bookshelf.”

“No!” Gabrielle exclaimed. The suspense was suddenly too much. “Well - did you ever get it back?”

“I did,” he said with a nod, his wavy blonde hair shaking slightly from the motion. “But it wasn’t until many moons later.”

Gabrielle felt her heart flutter a little every time he spoke. Something about being there with him made her feel happy and comfortable. Before coming to Hogwarts she’d felt like there was something in her life she was missing, like there was a reason she’d been given the chance to go to Hogwarts. Maybe Talus was the reason.

As if hearing her thoughts, the girl who’d been complaining the entire ride turned around and squealed. “Oh you are so adorable together! I mean get a room already, would ya?”

“Leave them alone Aphrodite,” the girl sitting next to her said annoyed. Gabrielle recognized her as one of the girls she’d met briefly at the train station earlier.

Aphrodite, of course. Gabrielle had heard all about the children of the Gods. Aphrodite was said to possess the ability to sense love and other romantic feelings between people.

“What? I just tell it like it is!” Aphrodite said, as if she didn’t understand why she was in the wrong. “And these two have some serious chemistry. I’m talking massive love sparks.”

“Well that’s their business,” the girl said. “You shouldn’t be advertising it for everyone to hear.”

“Wow Ephiny, jealous much? Just because the one you like doesn’t share those feelings for you,” Aphrodite shook her head. She turned to Gabrielle and Talus. “Poor girl’ll never experience real love.”

That did it. Ephiny shot to her feet. “Excuse me?”

Aphrodite’s eyes widened with fear at the sight of Ephiny’s wand. “Get that hideous thing away from me. Look I’m like totally starting to break out in hives! And that is so not a good look for me...”

“Come on girls, none of us really know how to use those things yet,” Talus interjected. “Let’s just put the weapons away and we can switch spots. Aphrodite, I’ll come up to sit by you.”

Once Talus and Ephiny switched places, an awkward silence filled the boat. It wasn’t until Ephiny finally spoke that the silence was gone. “I appreciate what you did for my sister at the train station.”

“Of course,” Gabrielle said. “I’ll never understand why some people pick on those not strong enough to defend themselves. Was your sister okay after?”

“She will be. It just takes her extra time to process those kinds of situations.” Ephiny paused for a moment, as if deciding whether to say more. “Rhea used to handle situations like that really well. But when our mother died it changed her.”

Gabrielle was surprised something so tragic had happened to Ephiny. She seemed to be so self-assured, like she knew who she was and she wasn’t going to let anyone change that.

“Of course that would change her, it would anyone,” Gabrielle said. “Ephiny I’m so sorry that happened to your family.”

Gabrielle couldn’t imagine losing her mother, she didn’t want to imagine it.

It was clear Ephiny was still deeply bothered by losing her mother, and Gabrielle didn’t want her to have to talk about it anymore than she wanted to. Another silence hung over them before Ephiny spoke again. “Well if you’re interested, some girls and I are joining a club. I don’t know yet what all it will include, but it’s supposed to be an anti-boy, female empowerment type of thing. We could use someone brave like you.”

_Anti-boys club?_ Gabrielle wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

“Maybe come to one meeting, see how you feel?” she offered.

“One meeting?” Gabrielle said. “Sure, I can do that.”

If she hated it, she’d never have to go to another one. And if she liked it, then even better.

“Cool.” Ephiny smiled. “We’ll be hanging posters all around the school. The times and dates for our meetings will be written on there so be on the lookout.”

“Alright. I will.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gabrielle couldn’t believe how beautiful the castle was once they arrived on land. She’d heard stories from the few others in Potadeia who’d attended Hogwarts, but this was so much more than she’d ever imagined, it was like walking into a dream; which was a thousand times better now that her nausea had finally subsided.

“Wow, I could stare at that view all day,” Talus said.

“Me too. I mean I’ve heard stories - but it’s even more beautiful in person,” Gabrielle mused. “It’s indescribable really.”

“Tell me about it,” for a moment Talus’s eyes didn’t leave Gabrielle’s. “Well I look forward to seeing you around. Even if we don’t get sorted into the same house. But I wouldn’t be doing the school a service if I didn’t mention the drama club before I go.”

Gabrielle’s ears perked up at the word drama. “I wasn’t aware that Hogwarts had a drama club.”

“It’s not a huge deal around here,” Talus explained. “Most people would rather watch a bunch of kids flying around on broomsticks trying to toss a ball into a hoop than perform in a play.”

“That’s a shame,” Gabrielle said. She knew all too well how underappreciated the dramatic arts were, especially back in Potadeia. It was nice to meet someone who seemed to love it as much as she did.

“It really is,” Talus agreed. “You should come to the first meeting.”

_Wow, my first night here and already invited to two clubs._

“When’s the first meeting?” Gabrielle asked.

“Tomorrow night. An hour before curfew.”

_Perfect_ , Gabrielle thought to herself excitedly.

Then she remembered her plans with Xena. _Not so perfect..._

Maybe she could suggest training on the weekends. Surely Xena wouldn’t mind, it’s not as though the training was her idea to begin with.

“I’ll be there,” Gabrielle promised. _It can’t hurt to go to one meeting and decide what to do from there,_ she convinced herself.

“Wonderful,” he said, slowly disappearing into the crowd of students headed for the castle. “I’ll see you then.”


	8. Headmasters and Sorting Ceremonies

Once everyone had gathered inside the castle, the first years lined up for the sorting hat ceremony.

“I bet I’ll be in Ravenclaw,” Gabrielle heard one girl say.

Gabrielle wasn’t as nervous as most of the students. She knew she would make a home out of whatever group of people she was sorted with. Making friends was never much of a problem for her.

But there was one person in particular she wanted to share a house with. She could imagine hanging out with Talus in class, discussing different plays they wanted to see and who their favorite playwrights were. They could practice reading their lines to each other if they were cast in the play, and tease each other about the silly costumes they would undoubtedly be given to wear. It sounded like a dream, one that Gabrielle would happily indulge in if it did in fact come true.

_Of course, being sorted into the same house as Xena would be an alternative I could live with. That is, if she doesn’t hate my guts._ Gabrielle had to admit, she was surprised Xena had agreed to train her in the first place. She didn’t seem all that interested in hanging out with Gabrielle in general and completely shot down her suggestion of spending time together outside of their training. _She must have seen some potential in me. There’s no way she’d have agreed if she thought I was a lost cause, right?_

Either way Gabrielle couldn’t help but find herself in awe of Xena. Gabrielle didn’t care what anyone said, Xena was the coolest person she’d ever met. A part of her wished Xena would find something special about Gabrielle too, find her worthy of her time in some way. But that didn’t seem likely. _Just be happy she agreed to train you,_ Gabrielle thought to herself. _You’re lucky she didn’t just tell you to get lost the minute you asked._

“First year students line up over here,” one of the professors ordered.

The students marched out to the great hall. Many eyes centered on them as they walked towards the front of the giant room, it wasn’t until Headmaster Lao Ma reached the announcement podium that the chatter and excitement in the room began to simmer. Gabrielle had heard stories of Ma, the respect she garnered from her students and staff was said to be well-earned as she was considered one of the most powerful witches ever to grace Hogwarts school. Or so Gabrielle had thought...

Upon closer inspection Gabrielle realized the students didn’t look happy to see Ma standing before them, they looked angry. A few students even decided to throw crumpled up napkins and anything else they had in their possession down towards her, though none of them hit their intended target.

“Welcome everyone,” Ma said softly. Her voice was so quiet and gentle, if it wasn’t for the magically boosted amplification system circling the Great Hall only those closest would have heard.

Gabrielle was instantly in awe of the way she could command the room immediately, not through intimidation but through a kind and loving warmth that radiated from every inch of the woman and spread throughout the entirety of the Great Hall.

Gabrielle couldn’t imagine how anyone could be angry with someone who seemed so kind. A kindness that was mixed with a grace and beauty Gabrielle had never seen presented so strongly in one individual person, although she knew someone who came close.

Gabrielle stole a glance at Xena, who must have noticed Gabrielle was looking in her direction because she was looking at her now too. Gabrielle smiled at Xena, but all she got in return was a slight wave of the hand.

Gabrielle’s attention returned to Ma when she put a hand to her forehead as if she were trying to make out the students with as much clarity as she could. “I see plenty of beautiful and familiar faces out there.” She looked down at the crowd of mostly nervous first years. “Ooh and some lovely new ones as well.”

“Boooo,” some of the students jeered and Ma cleared her throat, suddenly caught off guard by the hatred she saw in many of the students.

“It is an absolute honor and privilege to call you all part of the Hogwarts family,” she continued. “As a family, we will stand together. We will learn together, we will train together, and we will fight together if the need comes to it.”

“Family? Give us a break,” Gabrielle heard a particularly angry student say.

“Why is everyone so angry with Ma?” Gabrielle asked Ephiny, who was standing beside her, in a whisper.

“Some people don’t agree with her methods,” Ephiny explained, keeping her voice quiet as well.

“What’s wrong with them?”

“A few years ago there was this big controversy,” Ephiny said. “Many parents wanted Headmaster Ma to expel a student.”

“Expel a student? Why?”

“They thought she was a danger to the school,” Ephiny said.

“Do you know who it was?” Gabrielle asked.

Ephiny shrugged. “No idea. I heard some people talking about it back home, but that’s as much as I know.”

Alti, Gabrielle thought. It had to be Alti.

Gabrielle turned her attention back to Ma, who looked to be nearing the end of her speech.

“...as a family...we will welcome each new member with open arms and support them through this journey.” Ma turned to the first years and smiled down at them. “You will each be placed in one of our four houses. We will then read your name off the list and you will take a seat in this chair,” she motioned to the chair located one level below the podium. “Hagrid will place this sorting hat on your head and you will await your house assignment. You will be placed according to the traits you value most, or the traits most present within you,” she smiled at Hagrid, who got up so quickly the entire table where he sat nearly toppled over on its side.

“Let’s begin,” Ma unraveled a long scroll with a list of names. “Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus and Hera, please join us up here.”

Aphrodite took her place in the seat and blew a kiss to one of the boys in the Gryffindor row. He winked back.

“When you are ready we will begin,” Ma said, smiling brightly.

“I’m ready,” Aphrodite said.

Hagrid placed the hat gently on her head, where it sat for a good minute or so.

“It’s not supposed to take this long,” a boy standing next to Gabrielle sneered. Like many others, he didn’t seem to think much of Aphrodite. “Bet it’s taking longer because the hat doesn’t know where to put her. She’s not smart enough for  
Ravenclaw, she isn’t brave enough for Gryffindor, and she certainly isn’t as cunning or ambitious as a Slytherin. She’s pretty heartless too, but Hufflepuff’ll probably take pity on her and that’s where she’ll be placed.”

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. Sure Aphrodite had her annoying qualities, but that seemed a bit harsh.

“HUFFLEPUFF!” the sorting hat exclaimed finally. Aphrodite got down and sauntered over to the Hufflepuff table, swinging her hips as she went.

“Told ya,” the boy said, some of his friends laughing along with him.

Not long after, Ephiny’s name was called. The sorting hat barely touched her head before announcing her placement in Gryffindor, which came as no surprise to Gabrielle.

It took a while for Gabrielle’s name to be called, she was one of the last ones to be sorted.

“Ready Gabrielle?” Ma asked once she’d taken a seat.

Gabrielle nodded, swallowing hard from the sudden nerves. She was used to being in front of an audience of people, she’ d put on several plays in Potadeia with her sister Lila for the younger people in town, and sometimes the adults would join in too, it was never a problem for her; in fact, she thrived on having a large audience surrounding her. But this felt different, almost like a personal piece of information was about to be presented to hundreds of people. Information she didn’t even know for herself.

“Oh, this is a tough one,” the sorting hat said. “Yes, I’ll have a difficult time placing you.”

Gabrielle looked down at the floor to avoid the flurry of gazes she was receiving from everyone else in the room.

“Yes, you would fit nicely in Ravenclaw. You are intelligent in ways many are not. Insightful, wise. But you’re also brave, very much so. I haven’t seen this much bravery in a long time.”

The hat paused for a moment and Gabrielle wondered if it had fallen asleep. The moment it spoke again she jerked back into a straightened position.

“None of those will do though! No, it’s your heart that wins out. You care deeply for others and for life. I know just where to place you, yes there is really no contest after all…”

“HUFFLEPUFF!”

For a brief second, Gabrielle felt a surprising twinge of disappointment at not being placed with Xena. She looked over at her again once she had taken her own place at the Hufflepuff table, only this time Xena didn’t return the glance. _Why does it_ _matter? To her I’m just another first year, nothing special,_ Gabrielle convinced herself. _I’ll make great friends in Hufflepuff and things will be exactly as they should be. Who knows, maybe Talus will be sorted here too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide  
> Chapter 8  
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Ravenclaw: one of the four houses at Hogwarts; students are sorted here if they strongly value or possess traits such as wit, learning, and wisdom (https://www.pottermore.com/collection/all-about-ravenclaw).
> 
> Slytherin: one of the four houses at Hogwarts; students are sorted here if they strongly value or possess traits such as pride, ambition, and cunningness (https://www.pottermore.com/collection/all-about-slytherin).
> 
> Hufflepuff: one of the four houses at Hogwarts; students are sorted here if they strongly value or possess traits such as hard work, patience, loyalty, and fair play (https://www.pottermore.com/collection/all-about-hufflepuff).
> 
> Gryffindor: one of the four houses at Hogwarts; students are sorted here if they strongly value or possess traits such as hard work, courage, bravery, and determination (https://www.pottermore.com/collection/all-about-gryffindor).
> 
> Sorting Hat: used to figure out what house (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff) a student belongs in, has the ability to see what traits they value and possess.
> 
> References
> 
> Rowling, J. K. (1997). The sorting hat. In Francis-Bruce R. (Ed.) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (113-130). New York, NY: Broadway.


	9. Feasts and Floating Limbs

“Looks like your new friend got sorted into a different house,” Ares said. “Bummer.”

He took a bite into a turkey leg and grinned with little pieces of food lodged between his teeth. The feast looked and smelled delicious, but Xena wasn’t very hungry.

“I don’t have any friends,” she responded coldly.

“Well who needs ‘em when you’ve got me?” Ares took another bite. “I’m telling you Xena, we would be great together.”

Draco snorted. “Oh please Ares, the only thing you’re good for is eating like a drunken pig. No woman finds that attractive,” Draco said. “I’m the real catch here, isn’t that right Xena?”

“Neither of you would be considered a catch,” Marcus said. “Maybe if you stopped pestering her she’d give one of you a chance.”

“At least we can call ourselves men,” Draco said.

The bickering continued throughout the rest of the feast. Once all of the students had finished eating, the Prefects joined with the Heads of each house to lead the first years to their common rooms.

“I don’t know how you put up with those sons of Bacchus, Xena,” Marcus said. “You deserve a lot of credit for that.”

Xena laughed. She held a lot of respect for Marcus. He was the type of guy anyone would want fighting by their side. Strong, capable, and smart. And he didn’t let his pride outweigh his strengths. He was always just himself.

“Why do you let Julius and Draco boss you around?” Xena asked. “You could beat every one of them in a fight if it came down to it.”

Xena had seen Marcus in action when they’d trained together during their first year at Hogwarts. He was close to Xena in skill though he still wasn’t quite to her level, at least the last time she’d seen him use magic.

“I figure let them think they’ve got all the power,” Marcus said. “The bigger they are the harder they fall.”

“That’s one way of looking at it."

“You know I’ll be honest Xena, I wasn’t expecting you to return another year,” Marcus said. “It’s become the talk of the school.”

“It was the only way I could apply to become an Auror,” Xena said.

“Well, as much as you don’t want to be here I’m glad you are,” Marcus said, a modest smile forming on his face. “Why don’t I walk you to the commons? Give us a chance to catch up.”

“Actually I’m headed somewhere else,” Xena said.

“Alright. I guess I can’t expect you to follow me around all day anyway,” Marcus said playfully, unbothered by the rejection. “See you in class.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn’t difficult for Xena to slip by the Prefect for Slytherin, Salmoneus. She wondered if Gabrielle would be granted the same luck with the Prefect for Hufflepuff. Her question was answered within a few seconds when Gabrielle appeared through the castle’s front doors.

“Over here Gabrielle,” Xena said as Gabrielle approached the middle of the courtyard. She extended her arm out from behind the invisibility cloak so she was easier to spot, but instead Gabrielle screamed and threw a hand to her chest in surprise.

“Gods Xena, you scared the living daylights out of me!”

Xena quickly tucked her arm back inside the cloak. “Gabrielle quiet, you don’t want to alarm anyone.”

The courtyard was big enough where the likelihood of someone hearing Gabrielle’s scream from inside the castle was small, but that didn’t mean it was completely out of the question.

“Sorry, I’m not used to floating limbs appearing out of nowhere,” Gabrielle said in a hushed tone. “Next time, you know, a little warning might be nice.”

Xena nodded and remembered Gabrielle couldn’t see her.

“We better get going.” Xena said. “We’ll have to take the busier route to save time.”

“Okay.”

“If I bump into someone, or anyone suspects I’m there you’ll have to make up an excuse,” Xena said.

Gabrielle smiled. “I can do that. Just as long as you keep everything where it needs to be.”

Xena raised an eyebrow. “One more thing,” she said. She pulled the cage from her invisibility cloak and Gabrielle’s eyes widened. “I’m bringing my owl along so we’ll have to be extra careful.”

“I love animals as much as the next girl, but won’t that attract attention?” Gabrielle asked. “What if it makes noises while we’re walking through the halls. How am I supposed to lie about that?”

Gabrielle was right, bringing Argo along would be riskier. But Xena wasn’t comfortable leaving her in the Slytherin commons where she didn’t trust anyone, aside from maybe Marcus, to watch over her.

“She’s usually good about staying quiet,” Xena said. “I doubt it will be an issue.”

“Are you sure? Maybe I can convince someone from my house to watch over her,” Gabrielle suggested.

“Argo stays with me.” Xena said firmly. “Let’s get going. We need to get you back with the first years so they don’t suspect anything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide  
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Prefect: model students chosen in their 5th and 6th years by the headmaster to set a positive example for other members of their house, as well as making sure the rules are being followed. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw all have two Prefects, one boy and one girl (https://www.hp-lexicon.org/thing/hogwarts-prefects/).
> 
> Head of House: responsible for the well-being of students in their respective house (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw) (https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Head_of_House)
> 
> Invisibility Cloak: similar to a blanket, only whatever is underneath the blanket becomes invisible until the blanket is taken off
> 
> Xena: Warrior Princess Terms  
> Bacchus: a God in Greek mythology whose blood can turn someone into a vampire-like creature known as a Bacchae. He’s also known as the God of wine (http://www.whoosh.org/epguide/trans/204trans.html).
> 
> References  
> Bader, H. J, (Writer), & Merrifield, A. (Director). (1997). Been there, done that. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.


	10. Owls and Invisibility Cloaks

The area surrounding the great hall was pretty sparse and Xena managed to make it past anyone she walked by without bumping into them. Gabrielle, however, had a little more trouble managing her way through the crowd.

“Sorry!” she cried out as she ran directly into someone. The impact was enough to knock Gabrielle back into another girl whose books went flying everywhere. Xena recognized the Gryffindor as Minya, a second year student.

“Let me help you with those,” Gabrielle said guiltily, kneeling down beside the girl. She fumbled with the books and accidentally ripped the cover off a particularly worn out copy of _Hogwarts A History_. “Oh no.”

Minya glared. “Yeah, you’re a real big help. Thanks.”

“I didn’t mean to -” Gabrielle tried, her innocent eyes shining with embarrassment. “I can buy you a new one or -”

“It’s alright,” Minya said, realizing how sorry Gabrielle felt. “These books are old anyway. I’m surprised they lasted this long to be honest with you.”

Once she’d gathered her books she started to walk away, and Xena didn’t have a chance to move before -

WHAM! She fell back. She managed to hold her cloak together and keep herself invisible, but Argo’s cage dropped to the floor and into view.

_Argo!_ Xena examined the owl on the ground, luckily the fall hadn’t been too great and the small animal seemed to be doing ok, albeit shaken up a bit. _I’m so sorry girl. When we get back to the Hufflepuff commons I’ll find you a nice treat._

Minya, however, didn’t seem as forgiving as Argo. She whirled around to face Gabrielle, her face fuming with anger.

“You bitch! You did that on purpose!”

Gabrielle froze. “No I - I really didn’t!”

“You think throwing things at other people is funny, do ya?” Minya asked. “I’ll show you what’s funny.”

Minya lifted Argo’s cage into the air.

Xena slipped the wand into her hand, ready to use it if necessary. _If she thinks she can throw my owl..._

“Wait! Leave the owl alone, she didn’t do anything!” Gabrielle pleaded.

“True,” Minya paused for a moment, then placed the owl gently on the ground. “The owl's not the one who tried to hit me.”

“Thank you,” Gabrielle said. “Now I know what it looked like, but I really didn’t throw -”

SMACK! Without warning Minya had punched Gabrielle in the face. The sound echoed throughout the hall, a red mark already forming on Gabrielle’s cheek.

Gabrielle was stunned as she held a hand to where she’d been hit. Once Minya was gone Xena walked up beside her.

“Are you ok?” she whispered so quietly, for a second she wasn’t sure Gabrielle heard.

“Yeah I just -” Gabrielle shook her head, still in shock, “that really hurt.”

Xena let out the tiniest laugh of amusement. “Maybe if you hadn’t thrown my owl at her in the first place…” she teased.

“Oh that’s _funny_.” Gabrielle let out a small sarcastic laugh. “You’re lucky you were invisible or it mighta been you with this lovely shiner. Or Argo.”

“I appreciate what you did for Argo,” Xena said seriously. “I should’ve been paying more attention.”

“That’s alright. It’ll make for a nice story,” Gabrielle said standing more proudly, then realization hit her. “If I could tell it to anybody that is. Anyway I’m doing better now. The sting isn’t quite as bad as it was.”

“Good. We can ice it when we get to the commons. That should help numb the rest of the pain.” The sound of footsteps alerted Xena that someone was around the corner. “Someone’s coming.”

The girls stopped talking and stood still for a second, waiting to see if the footsteps would change direction. They didn’t. Thankfully Argo was sitting more calmly, nestled in the center of the cage.

Xena had to think fast. The invisibility cloak was big, but was it big enough for Xena, Argo, and Gabrielle at the same time?

“Gabrielle, I’m going to try and cover the invisibility cloak over you” Xena whispered at the quietest possible level she could.

Gabrielle nodded to show she had heard.

Xena threw the cloak over her and breathed a silent sigh of relief as it actually fit the three of them, by the slightest of a margin. They would have to keep any movements to a minimum if they wanted to keep all their extremities out of sight.

The entire arrangement was uncomfortable, Xena was glad Argo was there to separate her from Gabrielle. It was already enough that she could feel her breathing against her neck and her own heart quickening. Xena forced her breathing to steady and focus on the problem at hand.

Voices circled around them, Xena recognized two of them. Hagrid and Lao Ma. The third was an adult female that Xena didn’t recognize, which made Xena suspect it was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

“Yeah but the Talaemon ruby’s safely hidden!” Hagrid bellowed. “I have Tiny guardin’ the entrance!”

“I know Hagrid, and I have complete faith in Tiny’s ability to ward off any intruders,” Ma said quickly. “But we have to be careful. We don’t want the students finding out.”

“She has a point Hagrid,” the third voice said. “We don’t want it falling into the wrong hands.”

A few seconds after the voices started to drift away, Xena looked through the cloak to see if anyone else was around. Although it was hard to see past the thin layers that obscured her view, she didn’t see anybody in the distance.

“Okay. I think it’s safe now.” She helped Gabrielle uncloak herself.

“Phew. That was close,” she whispered.

_Too close_ , Xena thought, still feeling a little uneasy.

“Xena, I know you said not to worry about the ruby but I think we should at least talk about it,” Gabrielle said.

“Not now.”

“Why not? Xena this is important, whatever Alti is up to, I don’t trust her. Maybe we need to report her to Headmaster Ma.”

“ _Gabrielle_ ,” she threatened harshly.

“Okay, well, “not now” is good. Yeah. At least that implies a later,” Gabrielle said, her voice no longer at a whisper. “I’m ok with that. As long as later isn’t way later, but sooner later. You know, like this week later. Or better yet tomorrow later. Yeah that would be-”

“Shh! Gabrielle, we still need to be quiet,” Xena said impatiently. She glanced at the clock on the wall. 10 minutes to curfew. “Come on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References  
> Rowling, J. K. (1997). The sorting hat. In Francis-Bruce R. (Ed.) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York, NY: Broadway.
> 
> Sears, S. L, (Writer), & Jones, G. (Director). (1996). The greater good. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.


	11. Portraits and Common Rooms

“What’s the password deary?” the portrait outside of the Hufflepuff common room asked.

“Blast-Ended Skrewt,” Gabrielle recited, the words sounding even sillier as she said them aloud.

The portrait swung open and Gabrielle paused for a few seconds, hoping Xena had slipped inside.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” The portrait asked.

“Sorry this is my first day, I’m a bit nervous,” Gabrielle said, pretending to be uncomfortable.

“Not to worry dear, there is nothing to be scared of. You’re in the nicest house around.”

Gabrielle smiled. _I’m sure Xena’s made it inside,_ she thought. _But just to be sure…_

“Thank you so much, that certainly makes me feel a lot better,” she said. “You know my parents are muggles. It’s very unusual that they had 2 magical children, me and my sister. Her name’s Lila. Yeah. She’s a year younger so she’ll be coming here next term. I think she’s more scared than I was to come here, she’s very shy you know. Well, not with me, but I guess that’s because we’re family.” The portrait was beginning to look annoyed. “And she’s got the biggest crush on this boy I grew up with, but he got sorted into Gryffindor so that might be a bit of a problem,” Gabrielle continued. “It’s the strangest thing my parents -”

“Are you quite finished?” The portrait asked, clearly unable to take Gabrielle’s talking any longer. The niceness of her voice had completely vanished.

“Yeah. I guess I have a tendency to talk a lot,” Gabrielle said.

“No kidding,” the portrait responded. “Now would you _please_ step inside.”

Once Gabrielle was inside she felt herself suddenly taken aback by the beauty of the room. Several shades of yellows, browns, and greens covered the walls and floors. Nice wooden tables were spread around the room, with cute little plants vacating the center; the sunshine that poured through the windows bathed the room in a warm glow.

It reminded Gabrielle of a nice cottage at an old wine vineyard she’d once visited with her mother and Lila long ago; on one of their extremely rare vacations. Maybe that was why she felt so compelled by the room, it reminded her of one of her fondest memories. Or maybe it was the overall design, which looked to be carefully crafted to invoke a feeling of instant comfort.

“What took you so long?” Xena asked. For a second Gabrielle had forgotten she was there, unable to stop herself, a yelp escaped her lips and she jumped almost three feet in the air. Everyone in the room turned to look at Gabrielle.

“Are you okay?” one of the older girls asked. She’d rushed to Gabrielle’s side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Umm yeah I - I’m just really jumpy,” Gabrielle said. “I thought I saw something outside, but no it was - well it was just a bird. Nothing to worry about.”

The kind girl seemed to accept that as an answer, and the rest of Hufflepuff returned to what they’d been doing before.

“I wanted to make sure you had enough time to make it in,” Gabrielle whispered back.

“And what? You decided to tell them your entire life story? I’m not a snail Gabrielle.”

Gabrielle’s proudness turned to disappointment and embarrassment as her cheeks turned rosy red. “I’m sorry, I won’t wait so long next time.”

_Talk about ungrateful,_ Gabrielle thought bitterly.

Xena must not have realized her joke would hurt Gabrielle’s feelings, because there was no mistaking the guilt suddenly appearing in her voice. “You did good Gabrielle. Very good. I appreciate you putting in the extra effort.”

Gabrielle’s face lit up again. She felt an odd sense of accomplishment, especially hearing the words from Xena.

“I’m going to hang out in the corner until everyone’s gone to bed. If you need me I’ll be sleeping in the broom closet. It’s the place others are least likely to look.”

“Okay,” Gabrielle said. “And Xena…”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks again for agreeing to do this. I know it’s putting a lot of extra work on you and you’d probably rather be doing other things,” she said seriously. “But I want you to know that I really appreciate it.”

“It’s important to know how to defend yourself,” Xena said simply. “See you in the morning. Bright and early.”

_Bright and early?_ Gabrielle hated the sound of that. She was not a bright and early type of girl. But it wouldn’t be fair of her to complain, Xena was the one doing her a favor here.

“Yeah. Bright and early,” she said forcing a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry Potter Terms  
> Portrait: you probably already know what a portrait/picture is, but I wanted to add in the Harry Potter universe portraits/pictures are not still, they can move and talk like real people, in case that was confusing (https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/hogwarts-portraits).


	12. Ice and Staying Up Late

Gabrielle chatted with the other students in the house, enjoying the social interaction but secretly wishing they’d go upstairs so she could get some rest. If she didn’t get at least eight hours of sleep, she was at a high risk of being cranky the whole day.

After a while of Gabrielle conversing with the other students, Talus made his way downstairs. He waved to a few friends that he recognized and a big smile grew on his face when he spotted Gabrielle.

“We keep meeting in the most beautiful places,” Talus said. “It must be a coincidence.”

Gabrielle smiled. “Hi Talus. I’m so glad we were both sorted in the same house.”

“Me too,” he said. “In fact, I begged the sorting hat to do it once I saw you were placed here.”

“You did not,” Gabrielle laughed. Then she looked at him seriously, “I knew you’d be sorted here Talus. I can tell you have a good heart. And I’m usually really good at noticing those types of things.”

Talus looked away for a second, suddenly uncomfortable.

_Oh no, did I go too far_? Gabrielle thought suddenly. She had a tendency to overshare without realizing it, this must have been one of those times.

Gabrielle closed her eyes, hoping she hadn’t scared him off for good.

“I’m sorry Talus,” she apologized. “I didn’t mean to get so serious on you.”

“Are you kidding?” he smiled as if he’d never been uncomfortable in the first place. “Your seriousness is a relief. After listening to Aphrodite crushing on every boy at the feast, anything else is a breath of fresh air.”

“I bet.” Gabrielle could only imagine being stuck with Aphrodite for hours.

“Here, let’s take a seat.” Talus directed Gabrielle towards the chairs and they both sat down. “What happened there?” he asked, pointing to her cheek.

“Oh that - I got into a fight,” Gabrielle said.

Talus’s eyes grew in surprise. “ _You_ got into a fight?”

“I’m tougher than I look,” she said.

“I have no doubt,” Talus said, his eyes sparkling in the firelight. Gabrielle felt the same swarm of feelings around him now as she’d felt on the boats. Suddenly time flew so fast, what felt like only minutes must have been at least an hour. Once they were finished talking all the other students had disappeared to the upstairs bedrooms. The clock on the wall read 2:00 a.m. I am going to be really tired in the morning, she thought for a moment. But it didn’t bother her like it had before. _Talus is worth losing sleep over._

“Is it 2 in the morning already?” Talus asked. He must have caught Gabrielle gazing at the clock. “Wasn’t it 11 half a candlemark ago?”

“Well you know what they say...” Gabrielle said.

“Time flies when you’re in good company,” he said with a nod. “Which couldn’t be any more true. I had a great time talking with you tonight Gabrielle.”

“Me too,” Gabrielle said.

“I will see you tomorrow,” he said with a smile.

Once he was upstairs, Gabrielle slumped in the couch and relieved her muscles of any responsibility to hold her up.

A few moments later once Talus was out of sight Xena appeared beside the chair, completely visible.

“Well someone’s gonna be tired in the morning,” Xena said. “Come on, let’s get you that ice.”

She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it up with water from the sink.

“So now would be a good time to talk about that ruby…” Gabrielle said suddenly.

Xena raised her wand and tapped it against the glass; the water immediately turning to ice.

“Xena…?” _is she so focused she didn’t hear me_? Gabrielle wondered.

“I heard you Gabrielle,” Xena said as though reading her thoughts. “I just chose not to respond.” She glanced around the room distracted. “Do you have a towel or something I can wrap this in?”

“Yeah in my suitcase.” Xena unzipped the bag and pulled out one of Gabrielle’s towels, wrapping the glass around it and tying it into a knot.

“Here hold this up where it hurts,” she said after handing the towel to Gabrielle. The instant rush of coldness numbed the sting right out of existence, much to Gabrielle’s relief. “That feel ok?”

Gabrielle nodded gratefully, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the ruby.

“Xena, why do you keep avoiding the question? You told me earlier you would tell me.”

“I never said that.”

“Yes you did, Xena,” Gabrielle was angry now. This was serious, especially if it was as dangerous as Hagrid and Headmaster Ma made out it out to be. “If you don’t want to tell me - well then I’ll just have to find out for myself.”

Xena’s eyes shot up in alarm.

“No,” she said sharply. “Gabrielle do not go looking into this. Knowledge like that can be very dangerous. If Alti finds out-”

“I don’t care,” Gabrielle said. “If it means I save everyone in this school, well, then I’m okay with that.”

“I’m not,” Xena said angrily. “I don’t want another dead girl on my conscience.”

A silence hung over them. Judging by Xena’s face the words had slipped out without her meaning to, but she remained firm.

Gabrielle knew now wasn’t a good time to ask about the dead girl, as much as she wanted to.

“Please,” Xena said. “I already have enough to deal with as it is. Promise me you’ll drop this.”

Gabrielle couldn’t sit back and do nothing.

“No,” she said stubbornly. “Sorry if my death would be a ‘burden’ to you, but I can’t.”

“Oh yes you can,” Xena said, giving the impression there was no longer an option. “You’ve seen what I can do. If I have to knock you out and lock you in the closet for the rest of the year I will. Don’t think I won’t.”

Gabrielle didn’t doubt the threat to be true.

“Okay fine. I promise I will forget about the Talaemon ruby,” she said, her fingers crossed behind her back. _Sorry Xena, but I can’t let this go._


	13. Trainings and Early Mornings

“Okay Gabrielle, time to get up.”

“Hmmm?” Gabrielle rolled over to her side and Xena rolled her eyes. Within seconds she’d fallen back asleep.

“It’s morning,” Xena whispered, shaking her awake.

But Gabrielle turned to her side. “Jus’ five more minutes Xena…” she said groggily, “that’s all I ask.”

“Now,” Xena said dropping Gabrielle’s school uniform on her face, to which she immediately reacted by shooting an annoyed glare at Xena. “You’re getting up now. Put that on and we’ll head out.”

“I’m warning you, I’m not a morning person,” Gabrielle said.

“Good. I like a challenge.”

Before they left Xena made sure Argo was fed and set her gently on one of the shelves in the broom closet. “Sorry girl, the cloaks barely big enough for the three of us. This will be better.” The likelihood of anyone going inside the closet was next to nothing as it was practically empty, save for some old flying brooms.

Once Gabrielle was dressed they headed outside into the hallway, Xena hidden and Gabrielle waiting a few seconds for her to follow.

“What are you doing up so early? You don’t have to head for classes for another hour,” the portrait said.

“I really have to use the ladies room.” Gabrielle danced around as though she couldn’t hold it any longer. “And my stomach isn’t feeling very good. I might be a little while. I’m really sorry, I know I shouldn’t be out so late.”

“That’s alright dearie, I understand.”

Xena covered Gabrielle with the cloak after they were out of view of the portrait. Luckily only a few professors wandering around; it was much easier to reach the seventh floor than either of them had suspected.

“Here,” Xena said.

“Wait, I don’t see anything,” Gabrielle said, staring at the wall in confusion.

“That’s because it’s hidden. You have to think about what you desire most at that moment, walking past the wall three times,” Xena explained. “After that the door will appear. But we have to be thinking of the same type of room.”

“Right. Okay, so how do we do that?” Gabrielle asked.

“Just think of what you thought of earlier. A place to defend yourself.”

They passed the room three times and Xena almost laughed at how concentrated Gabrielle looked. There was no denying just how kind and sweet Gabrielle truly was. She had a big heart and Xena couldn’t help but enjoy sharing company with her, as much as she didn’t want to. But she couldn’t let those feelings grow any stronger than that. _Not with Alti around_ , Xena thought bitterly. _She deserves better than me anyway. I could never be a good enough friend for her. For anyone._

“Woah!” Gabrielle said as the door appeared suddenly on the wall. “It worked!”

“It did,” Xena said. “Let’s go inside.”

The interior was exactly how Xena remembered it the last time she’d visited. The room was set up like a training area with soft mats lined the floors and an entire row of dummies were spread at the other end of the room.

Gabrielle whipped out her wand excitedly and instantly pointed them towards the dummies.

“Easy Gabrielle,” Xena placed a hand on Gabrielle’s wand and forced her to lower it. “We’re not there yet.”

“Oh...right.”

“Let’s start with how to hold it.” Xena held her wand in position. “Make sure your fingers are wrapped around like this. You also want to use your non-dominant hand. It will free your good hand for other things.” Gabrielle watched Xena intently,  
trying very hard to imitate the position Xena’s wand was in. “Almost. But you don’t want the palm of your hands hanging off the end of your wand. You won’t have a good grip that way.”

“Like this?” Gabrielle asked, adjusting her wand according to Xena’s instruction.

“Much better. How does it feel?”

“A little uncomfortable,” she admitted. “But I think I’ll get used to it.”

“Good. I want us to start off with the Protego charm.” Xena said. “That way if someone’s attacking you you’ll have a basic defense ready.”

“I’ve heard of that one, it shields you from other charms, right?”

“Yes. But you can’t rely on it completely. Expelliarmus is strong enough to break through when used by a strong enough wizard, and it’s not strong enough protection for the killing curse,” she explained. “But it will buy you a little extra time and that’s not something to be taken lightly. May even save your life.”

“Sounds perfect. So umm...how do you cast a spell?” Gabrielle asked, suddenly looking away in embarrassment. “I’ve seen it performed many times but I’ve never - well I’ve never actually tried it. But I’m a quick learner - I swear. I’m not a lost cause or anything.”

“That’s alright Gabrielle. I can tell you’ll get the hang of it. You’re already good at following directions.”

Gabrielle smiled.

“Are you ready?”

A nod.

“Flick your wand forward and say the word PROTEGO.” A swirl of blue erupted from the wand, forming a large circle in front of Xena.

“Protego!,” Gabrielle tried. A small wisp appeared, disappearing seconds after being cast. “PROTEGO!” she tried again, the same thing happened. “PROTEGO!” the wisp appeared slightly larger, but it was nowhere near as big as Xena’s had been. “I know I can get this if I just -”

“Okay. Let’s hold off for a second,” Xena said as Gabrielle looked ready to try again.

Gabrielle’s face fell in defeat. “Maybe I am a lost cause.”

“You are not a lost cause. It just takes practice.” Xena smiled reassuringly, which seemed to work, but Xena could tell Gabrielle still wasn’t sure of herself. “I’ve seen kids say the words without anything appearing on their first cast.”

“Really?” Gabrielle asked with a grin.

“Oh yeah.”

They practiced the charm for the rest of the session and Xena could tell Gabrielle still wasn’t where she wanted to be; but she was getting the hang of it. Xena was impressed with how well she was doing so far.

“You did great Gabrielle,” she said as the session finally reached its close. “We’ll pick up tomorrow where we left off.”

Xena had to admit, she looked forward to their next training session. If nothing else it gave her something to take her mind off other things. At least for a short while.

“Xena…” Gabrielle directed her gaze to her feet. “Is it alright if I go to drama club tomorrow night instead? The meeting will be over too late for me to meet with you and...I’m interested in trying it out.”

Xena couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. But she pushed the feeling away in an instant and said, “Gabrielle, these trainings are for you, not me. I don’t care how often we meet.”

“Thanks Xena.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide  
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Room of Requirements: hidden room that most students don’t know about, turns into any type of room you want when you walk past three times and think of what you need the room to be (somewhere to hide things, somewhere to train, etc.)


	14. Mandrakes and Fedoras

The day started out with Herbology class for the Hufflepuffs, which was no surprise as the professor was also the head of Hufflepuff house, Professor Blueleaf.

Talus took his place next to Gabrielle and was followed by another boy much taller than him.

“Hey Gabrielle, this is my good friend Adonis. We grew up together back home.” Adonis smiled brightly, his teeth so white they nearly sparkled. Adonis seemed to have a large amount of confidence and finesse. His school uniform was accentuated with a bow tie and fedora hat. Gabrielle was surprised he hadn’t gotten called out on it yet as the rest of the students wore regular ties and none of them wore hats.

Adonis held his hand out for Gabrielle to shake. “Nice to meet you,” he tipped his hat and grinned. “Enjoying the beautiful day?”

Gabrielle laughed and shook his hand, “I am. Are you?”

“Of course,” he said, placing an arm around Talus’s shoulder. “Talus she’s as beautiful as you said. Even more so.”

Gabrielle blushed and Talus smiled. “See. I told you.”

“I’d like everyone to partner up in pairs of 3 and 4,” Professor Blueleaf said. His long hair extended past his stomach, and he had a very earthly cloak on. When he spoke, his voice was nearly a whisper, some students had to lean in closer to hear, but as soon as they did it was a mad rush to forming groups. By the end of it, only one student was left standing.

“Join any group you want,” Professor Blueleaf said.

Aphrodite looked around the room, but nobody appeared willing to let her in. An awkward silence spread across the greenhouse, but Aphrodite somehow managed to stand there with complete confidence. Not at all embarrassed.

Gabrielle opened her mouth to invite her but Talus beat her to it. “Want to join in with us Aphrodite? We could use an extra person.”

“Excellent. Now, let’s begin everyone.” Professor Blueleaf held up a potted plant. “Today we’ll be exploring the wonders of baby mandrakes. I would like everyone to grab an earmuff and place it on their head. It is very important that you wear this sort of protection when dealing with mandrakes.”

Adonis placed his hat on the table, “probably should of worn something different today.”

“I’m not touching anything that isn’t 100% clean,” Aphrodite said, staring with disgust at the potted plants in front of her.

“It’s just dirt Aphrodite,” Adonis laughed. “It’s not gonna hurt you. But if you’re that worried about it I’ll handle your plant.”

Aphrodite looked satisfied with his offer. She twirled a finger through her hair and smiled, “Okay.”

“Want me to handle yours too?” Adonis asked Gabrielle as she placed a pair of earmuffs on her head.

“No that’s alright, I grew up on a farm - a little dirt and grime doesn’t scare me,” Gabrielle said.

Aphrodite made a sound of disapproval. “And you call yourself a girl? Crazy what passes for females these days.”

Gabrielle and Talus laughed as Adonis placed a pair of bunny ears behind Aphrodite’s head and danced around awkwardly.

“What? What’s so funny?” the goddess of love gasped. “Is there food in my teeth? I brushed and flossed five times this morning!” She looked at her hair intently. “Is there a strand out of place? A split end? Oh Gods this is so embarrassing!”

“It has nothing to do with you, don’t worry,” Gabrielle said between laughs. Adonis shot back to his spot before Aphrodite could notice and whistled casually.

“Well then what? What is it?” she looked around, completely oblivious.

“Let’s get started everyone,” Professor Blueleaf said. “Now grab the top of the leaves.”

“Aphrodite don’t forget your earmuffs,” Gabrielle warned.

“Groty. No way am I wearing those hideous things.”

Before Gabrielle could say another word the teacher yelled “Pull!” and several pairs of hands tore the baby mandrakes out of the pots and held them into the air.

Aphrodite’s face paled and she quickly covered her ears, but the sound of the shrieking mandrakes were too powerful and she fell to the floor with a thud.

“Aphrodite! Are you alright?” Adonis was by her side in an instant, closely followed by Talus and Gabrielle.

“Aphrodite can you hear me?” Gabrielle asked, kneeling down and gently trying to shake her awake. She glanced at the professor as he appeared at their side. “Is she going to be alright?”

“Yes, mandrake screams are strong enough to knock you out, but she’ll be fine once she wakes up and has a little medicine.” Aphrodite began to stir and he helped her to her feet. “Would one of you mind escorting her to the hospital wing?”

Adonis’s hand shot up in an instant. “I’ll do it!” Gabrielle was surprised at how quickly he’d volunteered. He placed Aphrodite’s arm around his shoulder and helped her steady herself. “You okay?”

For the first time since Gabrielle had seen Aphrodite she looked scared.

“I think so, yeah.” she answered. “What happened?”

“You had a little fainting spill,” Adonis explained. “But everything’s going to be alright. We’re just gonna get you to the hospital wing and you’ll be right as rain.”

Aphrodite nodded, still disoriented.

The rest of the class went smoothly, thank the Gods. Gabrielle was actually very excited to continue Herbology classes in the future.

“What class have we got next?” Talus asked, eyeing the schedule in Gabrielle’s hand.

“Flying,” she said. “I’m very curious to see what that is.”

Talus laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Gabrielle asked confused.

“Oh, I thought you were joking.” He paused. “You’ve never heard of flying class?”

“I’m the first in my family to attend so a lot of this stuff is pretty new to me.”

“I see. Well flying is basically an unofficial training for quidditch,” he explained. “It’s all about learning to fly on a broom.”

Gabrielle’s heart sank. Had she heard him right? Learning to fly a broom?

“Your kidding,” her eyes were about as big as the greenhouse. But Talus wasn’t kidding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N to anyone who read this far before the last update: I switched Arman into an original character (Arman's brother Adonis) because having him be OOC didn't make much sense so I decided for him to be someone related to him instead. Sorry for any confusion!


	15. Tantalus and The Three Broomsticks

A loud slam startled the class as the new professor stumbled in with a pile of books taller than she was. Stuffed between the books was a pile of papers, half of which came loose and left a trail of white and tan behind her as she hurried to the front of the room.

“She looks like she could be the librarian,” someone next to Xena remarked as the professor adjusted the much-too-large glasses on her face and cleared her throat.

“Is she going to say anything?” another student nearby whispered.

The room was silent as their professor finished arranging her desk and cleared her throat again. “Greetings everyone. I hope your classes have made for a positive experience thus far,” she said.

“Umm Professor, this is our first class,” Salmoneus said.

“Oh, well - splendid, you’ll be getting off to an interesting start then,” she said. She turned to the board and wrote PROFESSOR BOOKSNATCHER in large letters. “As you can see here, my name is Professor Booksnatcher. I would like everyone to turn to page seven hundred and thirty eight.”

Slamming books echoed throughout the room as the students reluctantly turned to page 738. On the page was a large illustration of Tantalus.

“Now I want you to tell me what you see,” Professor Booksnatcher said.

“How old does she think we are?” Draco whispered, to which his friends started to laugh.

“That’s Tantalus,” Salmoneus said when nobody answered.

“Correct. Someone we’ve all known about since grade school,” she said. “But what is he doing in this picture?”

“He’s - well he’s dining with the Gods on Olympus,” Salmoneus answered.

“That’s right. Wonderful job…”

“Salmoneus,” he answered.

“Yes thank you Salmoneus,” Professor Booksnatcher said with a smile. “The Gods believed he was worthy of joining them. What changed their minds on the matter?”

Salmoneus raised his hand again and Professor Booksnatcher searched for another volunteer.

“Salmoneus?” she asked, slight irritation slipping through her voice at the lack of involvement from the students.

“He killed his son and used his death to play a trick on the Gods. Nasty fellow. Legends say he caused real trouble for the Gods.”

“That’s right, Tantalus did something so cruel and evil and by doing so he crossed over the line of good, of which he could never return. And what happened after?” Professor Booksnatcher asked.

Salmoneus raised his hand once more.

“Let’s hear from someone else,” she said, glancing around the room. When nobody raised their hand she pointed to Xena. “What was his punishment for committing such a cruel act?”

“Tantalus was sentenced to an eternity in Tartarus. He was cursed with an everlasting thirst and hunger.”

“Yes - what a perfect explanation, thank you,” she said with another smile. “Tantalus was placed in a pool of water, near a tree filled with fruit. But Tantalus was never able to reach the fruit, or drink from the water surrounding him. He was forced to desire that which he could never obtain. Now you may be wondering why I’ve decided to revisit a story from your childhoods. Indeed it must seem odd, yet it is of greater importance than anything I will teach in this class for the entirety of the school year.

“As students with the ability to use magic, you are given power. A power that even the greatest of men have fallen prey to. In this class I will be teaching you how to defend yourselves in the realm of dark magic, but also in the realm of dark desires.” She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat, remaining miserably aware that a majority of the students in the room had stopped paying attention. “Not all desires are bad - no it is important to have desires, very much so...but how we reach those desires is just as important.”

“By doing something so cruel and evil, Tantalus lost any chance of ever being good. Before then he was a trouble-maker he had done some pretty awful things, but there was still a chance for him to turn himself around and become a force for good. It was the moment he killed his son and used his death as a way to torment the Gods that he reached the point of no return, and as such he lost all hope of being able to reach that which he desired most in the world. His greatest desire would remain forever out of reach. That is something I want all of you to keep in mind throughout the remainder of these lessons.”

\------------------------------------------------------

When the class was finished, several students left the classroom complaining about Professor Booksnatcher.

“I don’t know, I thought she had some valuable advice to give,” Marcus said to Xena once they were away from the others. “It’s a shame boneheads like Draco and Julius will never consider advice that could actually be good for them. What class do we have next?”

“Potions,” Xena said.

“We could skip for old time’s sake,” Marcus said with a grin.

“I didn’t plan on going anyway,” Xena said. “There’s something else I need to do.”

Ever since Alti had told her the Taelamon ruby had not been destroyed she’d made plans to search as well. There was no telling if Alti would actually follow through with her promise to tell Xena when she found it, although it seemed pretty unlikely she would leave Xena out of the plan considering what they were up against. She needed someone who could fight through any obstacles on their way to the ruby. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to find out for herself, especially if others were looking for the ruby aside from Alti.

“Would you like some company?” Marcus asked.

It probably wasn’t a good idea to involve Marcus, but at the same time there was a higher likelihood of finding information on the ruby with both of them looking. She didn’t have to tell him what the ruby did or why she wanted it.

“You can come,” Xena said, then a smirk appeared on her face. “As long as you don’t mind doing me a favor.”

Marcus nodded. “What do you have in mind?”

Xena and Marcus had no trouble sneaking into the Hogwarts secret passage that lead them straight to Hogsmeade. But before they could enter any of the major establishments, they had to disguise themselves. People would get suspicious if they  
saw two Hogwarts students wandering around during class. Luckily Marcus was a metamorphmagus, which meant he could change his physical appearance at will. Xena, however, didn’t have that luxury.

“Alright, I got you a wig and some glasses,” Marcus said, once he’d left the costume shop. “Blonde was all they had.”

“Blonde will do,” Xena said grabbing the wig and placing it on her head. She then threw on the glasses.

Marcus’s eyes widened. “Whooo, those are sexy.”

Xena glanced around the town to make sure the coast was clear. “We better hurry.”

“Ok my turn,” Marcus quickly grew a long, bushy beard and changed the shape of his face so he would look older. “How’s that?” he asked playfully.

“Sexy,” she said with the slightest of a smirk, though there was no emotion in her voice.

“Just what I was going for. Let’s go.” They both ducked behind the buildings and followed the trail to The Three Broomsticks.

Once they arrived they were instantly given a table and a menu to read.

Marcus grabbed the menu and unfolded it as though he were a stuffy old man perusing the morning newspaper. “You’ll have to give us a moment,” Marcus said, pretending to be irritated. He turned to the waiter. “Yes, I would enjoy the most popular dish you have. And a butterbeer. What would you like honey?”

“Oh Raymond, look at all the options. I just can’t decide,” she placed a finger on the menu and raised her pitch so it was unrecognizable form her own. “This could take hours!”

“A salad sounds nice,” Marcus said.

“A salad? A SALAD? You told me I was the perfect weight. Now you’re asking me to order a salad?” Xena raised her arms up in anger. She threw the menu at Marcus, who barely caught it in his arms. “If you know me so well why don’t you decide what I should and shouldn’t eat.”

Xena started to storm off and glanced one last time at Marcus who grinned when the waiter looked away, and mouthed the words “nicely done”.

Once Xena had asked everyone in the establishment about the ruby she returned to the table, which now had piles of food ready for them to eat. As soon as Xena sat down they both chuckled and Marcus. “Anyone ever tell you you could be an actress?”

“I’m not much for the spotlight,” Xena said, taking a bite of the steak Marcus had ordered her.

“That’s not something I ever could argue with,” Marcus agreed. He took a bite of his potatoes and took a sip of butterbeer. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. You seem different this year. And ever since you helped Hercules, rumors have been going around.”

“There are always rumors,” Xena said unsurprised.

“But this time the rumors are different. People seem to think you’re turning to the good side,” he said seriously. “I didn’t believe it at first. Not for a second. Not until what happened at the train station…” He took another bite. “Xena, how did it make you feel? I mean doing something that wasn’t selfish.”

“You want the honest answer?” she asked.

“Yes. I do.”

“Nothing compares to the feeling of doing something good,” Xena said simply.

“Hmmm...you know I almost did something like that once. My father and I were out on one of our stealing escapades. Just a cycle of violence. But that night, we were at an elderly woman’s house. Her husband who we were supposed to be stealing from wasn’t home.

“They didn’t have a lot, a few antiques and some cash stowed away in her basement. But this woman didn’t wanna give it up, it had some sort of sentimental value to her. So she fought my dad and the rest of the gang, until finally they decided to kill her. I wanted to step in and stop them, wanted to tell them there wasn’t anything of real value in the house anyway, what purpose would it serve killing the poor woman. But they did it anyway. I just stood by and let it happen. I wish I hadn’t, I wish I had the strength to do the right thing, you know stand up for justice, but I didn’t. I still don’t.”

_Gabrielle’s been talking to the wrong person._

“You can still do good Marcus. All it takes is one good deed, that’s it. That’s the first step.”

Marcus shook his head. “I’m not brave enough for that.”

“Sure you are. You just have to believe it.”

“It’s that simple, huh?”

_No, it isn’t._

“That’s what I thought.” Marcus said, picking up on her lack of response. “When you’re someone like us, doing what’s right is harder than doing what’s easy.”

“That’s not true Marcus,” Xena said. “It’s too late for me. I’ve done too many bad things. But you can still change. I think I know of a way you can start.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide
> 
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Hogsmeade: A village where only magical folk are allowed. There are several shops and other types of buildings there (including The Three Broomsticks). There are also several passageways hidden in Hogwarts that lead to Hogsmeade (https://www.pottermore.com/explore-the-story/hogsmeade).
> 
> References  
> Sherman, J., (Writer), & Posey, S. L., (Director). (1995). The path not taken. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.


	16. Drama Club and Finding a Balance

The rest of the day went by quickly. Save for flying class, Gabrielle was actually excited to learn more about the magical world, a world she knew very little about. But it was drama club that she looked most forward to.

“I wonder how many will show up,” Gabrielle said as they hurried towards the grounds. They’d stopped for a bit at the library and talked for much longer than they’d realized, now they were really stretching the limit of being on time.

“Me too,” Talus said, just as excited as Gabrielle. They spotted Adonis making his way to the field as well.

“Adonis? You’re joining too?” Gabrielle asked pleasantly surprised.

“Yeah I thought I’d check it out,” he said. “Sounds like a good time.”

“Happy to have you here,” Talus said, smiling at his friend.

As soon as the trio got to the field they were greeted by a man dressed in much fancier robes than any of the other professors so far. He had a smoke pipe in his hands and was sitting on the grass. “Welcome. Welcome. I am Victor Hugo,” he said once Gabrielle, Talus, and Adonis had taken a seat in the grass as well. Some of the students gasped at his name, Gabrielle included. She’d never expected someone as famous as Victor Hugo to be teaching at Hogwarts. “As students with a deep passion for the arts, and students studying under my supervision, I expect you all to give about 20% of all you can give this semester.”

The students exchanged confused glances.

“20% is a generous number. Artists are filled with an immeasurable level of creativity, but most of that creativity is hidden. Most of it will never be reached,” he continued. “With that being said I expect you to give me 100% of your attention,” the students laughed. “Whether you go away from this club believing you’ve truly learned what I taught you, or you seemingly forget it all as soon as you walk off this field, my words will reside somewhere in the recesses of your mind. Somewhere deep, but not unreachable.”

Professor Hugo was even wiser than Gabrielle ever could imagine. She remembered reading his poems in _Odes and Ballads_ and being impressed with everything he managed to write. Once the meeting was finished Gabrielle went away feeling as though she’d truly been given an inspirational experience.

“I’ll catch up with you guys later,” Adonis said waving to his friends, and then he was off.

“I’m glad Victor Hugo will be teaching us. He really seems to understand the beauty of storytelling,” Gabrielle mused. “You know I’ll bet I’ve read _Odes and Ballads_ a thousand times.”

“Me too. He always has a way of inserting pathos into all of his work. He truly is an incredible talent,” Talus agreed.

“I’m glad you talked me into this Talus,” Gabrielle said. “This is going to be a great year.”

Talus smiled, and before she could react, he leaned forward and kissed her.

As soon as he pulled away he searched her face for a reaction, “I think you’re amazing Gabrielle. I was wondering if you might want to go out with me some time.”

“Talus I would love that.” Gabrielle placed her hand into his.

As they walked back to class Gabrielle’s head was swimming with a thousand different thoughts. It felt like she was lost in a dream, a dream she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to end.

\---------------------------------------

The next day after classes Gabrielle made her way to the courtyard with a new sense of happiness. She’d spent the day exploring Hogwarts with Talus. They’d eaten together at lunch and talked all throughout the day. It was better than Gabrielle ever could have expected.

“Hi Gabrielle. Xena told me to meet you here,” a boy’s voice tore Gabrielle away from her distracting thoughts.

_Oh no. Have we been found out?_ Gabrielle wondered in an instant panic. What if this boy had found out she was meeting Xena and was planning on blackmailing them. Gabrielle raised her wand as an extra precaution, not that she really planned on using it against him.

Gabrielle sighed with relief as she heard Xena’s voice. “He’s telling the truth Gabrielle.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Gabrielle. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Marcus said, holding his hand out for Gabrielle to shake. “Well, a lot compared to how much Xena talks about other people.”

_Xena’s been talking about me?_ Gabrielle couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“It’s very nice to meet you as well,” Gabrielle said.

“I wanted Marcus here because he’s going to be taking my place next year,” Xena said. “He’ll be the one training you.”

“Taking your place?” Gabrielle asked surprised. “No offense Marcus you seem like a wonderful person and I’d be happy to train with you, but Xena is this because I - I mean did I do something wrong? Because if I did, you know, I can make it up to you. If you need help writing papers - or - or if you want someone to carry your books to class. Well I can do that. Anything.”

“You did nothing wrong Gabrielle. And I promise I’ll train you for the rest of this term, like I said I would,” Xena said. “There just isn’t any reason for me to stay here another year.”

“Wait, you’re not coming back at all?” Finally she’d gotten her first kiss, and now she was going to lose a friend? Was this the fates finding a balance, something great happened so something bad had to happen in return?

“No.”

“Where will you go?” Gabrielle asked, the hurt clearly written on her face.

“I’ve already got a place in mind,” Xena said.

Gabrielle couldn’t force Xena to stay, as much as she wanted to. She had to accept it.

“Okay,” Gabrielle said, trying not to reveal how disappointed she felt. “So how is Marcus going to sneak into the common room?”

Marcus suddenly morphed his face into Hagrid. “Like this.”

“Woah! How did you -?” Gabrielle couldn’t believe her eyes.

“He’s a metamorphmagus,” Xena explained.

“Which means I can turn into whoever I want to,” he grinned at Gabrielle’s reaction. He suddenly morphed into Xena and did his own impression of her, arching his eyebrow and standing so much like Xena, Gabrielle almost forgot it wasn’t really her. By that point Gabrielle couldn’t contain her laughter.

“So, who am I now?” Marcus asked gruffly.

“Change back quick before someone sees you,” Xena said without a trace of humor in her voice.

“Party pooper, Marcus said. He smiled at Gabrielle who was still laughing.

“Now Marcus,” Xena demanded.

Marcus changed back in an instant.

“Alright, let’s go,” Xena said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide  
> Victor Hugo: French writer throughout much of the 1800s (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo).


	17. Thieves and Hope for the Future

“It’s so nice bringing Argo with us,” Gabrielle said, petting the owl’s tan feathers. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her all cooped up in the common room. Well actually - I suppose I can. That’s how I always felt in Potadeia. You know, people were always saying how much I didn’t fit in. I guess that’s how I always felt...”

“I hated leaving her in the common room,” Xena said. She handed the cage to Marcus. Now that Marcus was around they had someone to protect Argo from any magical spells that bounced off the walls or went in other directions they weren’t supposed to.

“I was going to have us continue with Protego, but you can practice that on your own time,” Xena said. “I want to move on to some other spells so you get a feel for those.”

“Alright,” Gabrielle said.

“Are you familiar with Expelliarmus?”

“I think so, that’s the one you used at the train station right?” Gabrielle asked.

“Yes. I want you to try using it on me,” Xena said simply, and Gabrielle’s mouth suddenly gaped open.

“Xena I - I mean what if I mess up and - you know - accidentally hit you.” Gabrielle shook her head. “No I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You won’t. Expelliarmus works sort of like a magnet, it will be attracted to the wand,” Xena explained. “As long as I’m not casting another spell at the same time. Even then it isn’t very painful compared to other spells.”

“I guess if you’re sure,” Gabrielle said hesitantly.

“I’m sure,” Xena said. “You ready?”

Gabrielle nodded nervously.

“Alright. I’m just going to stand here. I want you to aim your wand at me.” Xena held her wand up as if she were going to attack. “Go for it.”

Gabrielle aimed her wand nervously and with a sudden flick of her hand shouted, “EXPELLIARMUS!”

The light that emitted from her wand wasn’t large in scale, but it was enough to knock Xena’s wand from her hand. Xena scooped it back up and held it out again. Luckily Argo was used to Xena casting spells and wasn’t bothered by the noise, although she didn’t look entirely comfortable being in Marcus’s care.

“Again,” Xena said.

Gabrielle cast the spell again and Xena retrieved the wand once more.

“Again.”

“EXPELLIARMUS!”

They were making progress just as Xena hoped they would, and by the time the training had reached it’s close Xena was more than satisfied with the improvement Gabrielle had made.

“That was great Gabrielle!” Marcus cheered. He handed Argo back to Xena and smiled. “You just put half the students in my year to shame. Maybe even myself.”

“Oh she’s definitely got you beat,” Xena teased, though her voice remained serious.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Gabrielle said, not realizing it had been a joke. “I’d imagine you’re great at casting spells.”

Marcus laughed, “don’t worry my pride can handle it. Now if you’d exceeded Xena’s skills, I’m not so sure she'd handle it as well as me.”

Xena gave a small smirk and turned to Gabrielle. “I think it’s time for someone to get ready for their next class.”

The trio packed up their things and headed out. Once Gabrielle was in class, Xena and Marcus snuck out to Hogsmeade again, this time with new disguises.

“That girl is something special,” Marcus said as they made their way through Hogsmeade.

Yes she is, Xena admitted silently to herself. She’d never really met anyone quite like Gabrielle. There was no denying her big heart and fiery spirit. And most importantly she didn’t see Xena as the monster everyone else saw her as, including herself. It was almost like having a fresh start whenever she was with her, and that was something she couldn’t help but secretly cherish. “I’m glad you’ll be training her next year Marcus. She’ll be in good hands.”

At that moment they spotted a man attempting to snatch a bag from a man and his son.

“Hey! Come back you filthy ingrate!” The father yelled angrily after him.

Xena and Marcus exchanged glances. “You wanted to do something good. Here’s your chance.”

Marcus shook his head. “If my father finds out I’ve helped someone...”

“Marcus, you can’t live your life that way. Either he finds out or he doesn’t. You’ll never break free of him if you don’t try.”

“You’re right,” Marcus said, newly inspired by the speech. He took off at a sprint with Xena following closely behind him. Xena stopped to talk to the man, who was now sobbing, as Marcus continued after the thief.

“That man stole my belongings! Did you see him?” he asked.

“My friends going to bring it back for you,” Xena said.

“But he’ll never catch up to him,” the father argued. “The bastard’s long gone.”

“Marcus is fast.” And he knows exactly how a thief’s mind works.

They waited for a few moments for Marcus to return, the thief had moved far past their view at this point. It was clear the father and son were still skeptical of Marcus, but Xena didn’t doubt his abilities for a second, and not long after they’d been ready to give up, Marcus returned with the man’s bag.

“What did - how did -” the man shook his head. “I never expected you to succeed. Thank you kind sir, my son and I greatly appreciate what you’ve done for us.”

“It’s no big deal,” Marcus said.

“No you don’t understand,” the man continued. “This bag has medicine for my wife. Without it - well she may not have made it.”

As soon as he was gone, Marcus turned to Xena with a huge smile on his face. “Xena that was amazing! I mean - you were right, nothing compares to the feeling!”

Xena forced a smile. If only it were that easy for her.

“See Marcus. I knew you could do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the chapters for the story will be posted tonight (and tomorrow if I don't have enough time tonight)!


	18. Giant Mirrors and Hauntings of the Past

The trainings continued to run smoothly, and for the most part Xena, Marcus, and Gabrielle were able to avoid getting caught. It wasn’t until Marcus had decided to change his appearance to resemble Hagrid and they spotted him walking around at the other end of the hall that they ran into trouble.

“In here,” Marcus said, opening a random door and waving them both over with his arms. Xena and Gabrielle followed hurriedly behind him and as soon as they were inside and Marcus had closed the door, Gabrielle threw off her cloak.

“Of course the one time I morph into Hagrid he’s out patrolling the halls,” Marcus said.

Gabrielle was surprised to find the room was so empty. The only object in the room was a tall rectangular shaped object wrapped in a white blanket. “What’s that?”

Marcus joined her side. “Let’s find out.” He threw the cover off and they both started coughing as a swarm of dust surrounded them. It was several seconds before the dust had cleared to reveal a giant mirror before them.

“Maybe this room was made for half-giants,” Gabrielle suggested, though it looked tall, even for Hagrid. When she took a closer look, however, she noticed there was something even more peculiar than its height. The reflection itself didn’t match with what was actually surrounding her and Marcus. In fact, Marcus didn’t even appear in the reflection; it was as though he wasn’t there at all. In his place was a giant stage filled with props and a large variety of clothing. She was surrounded by a Theatre, one she recognized from books she’d read as a child, the Theatre of Dionysus. A large group of people occupied the stands cheering in excitement, and several posters hung on the wall that read Gabrielle’s names in giant letters.

“The mirror of Erised,” Xena said suddenly, surprising Gabrielle who hadn’t noticed her walk up beside her. Like Marcus, Xena didn’t appear in the reflection. “It shows us what we desire most in all the world.”

That made a lot of sense. Gabrielle had always longed to write a play that spoke to people enough to be performed for a crowd of people. It also explained why Marcus and Xena were nowhere to be found.

Gabrielle turned to Marcus and Xena who were staring into the mirror as well. Marcus had a huge smile on his face, but Xena didn’t look pleased to see whatever she saw in the mirror.

“Are you alright?” Gabrielle asked. What could she have seen that bothered her so much? 

Xena didn’t say anything. Her eyes remained glued to the mirror, as though she desperately wanted to look away but couldn’t.

“Xena, what do you see?” Gabrielle asked. She didn’t expect Xena to respond, but on the off-chance that she did Gabrielle thought she could maybe help her feel better.

“My family,” Xena said simply. Gabrielle knew better than to push any further, even though she desperately wanted to know more. She would have to find the information out from someone else, so later that day after their training and classes had ended, Gabrielle approached Marcus in the hallway.

“Gabrielle, hi.” Marcus smiled. “Did you want me to pass a message along to Xena?’

“No, actually Marcus, I wanted to talk to you,” Gabrielle said.

“Sure. What’s going on?” 

“It’s about Xena. I wondered if - I mean I was curious why she...” for some reason the words just didn’t want to come out. 

“You wanted to know why Xena saw her family in the mirror,” Marcus finished for her.

“Yes. I thought that maybe I could help her if I knew what was bothering her,” she admitted. “Is she feeling homesick? The Gods know I’ve been starting to feel it.”

Gabrielle had visited Hagrid’s office each week to write her family a letter and still she felt like she hadn’t spoken to them in ages; it just wasn’t the same as seeing them in real life.

“She’ll kill me just for saying all this but I’m worried about her too,” Marcus said. “You see there’s something you have to understand about Xena. She hasn’t been dealt a fair card in life. When she was younger her little brother was killed in battle, a battle she lead him into.”

“That’s horrible,” Gabrielle said nodding in understanding. “I can’t even imagine how hard that must have been for her.”

“Not a day goes by that Xena doesn’t blame herself for his death,” Marcus said. “And she’s not the only one. Her mother blames her the most of course, and her other brother, he hasn’t talked to Xena in ages. They were so angry with her, she couldn’t stand to be at home any more. Eventually she left. Lao Ma found Xena and took her into her family. For years Ma was like a mother to Xena. She also trained her every day, morning and night. It’s part of the reason she’s as strong as she is today.”

_Headmaster Ma trained Xena and taken her in?_ Gabrielle couldn’t believe it. Ma always seemed so hostile towards Xena.

“Once Xena became skilled enough she sought the army that killed her little brother and slaughtered them all,” he continued. “Ma was furious. She banned Xena from her family and when she tried to return back to her hometown in Amphipolis, her real mother wouldn’t take her back either.”

“And where was her father during all this?” Gabrielle asked. 

“He’s been out of the picture for years,” Marcus explained. Gabrielle shook her head in disbelief. No wonder why Xena never let people in, everybody she ever cared about had thrown her out of their lives. Suddenly Xena’s standoffish behavior made perfect sense. “I don’t know why, but they can’t see the good in her that we can see. I’ll always regret not trying harder to keep her on the right path.”

“Marcus, I doubt there’s anything you could have done about it,” Gabrielle said. “When Xena has her mind set on something I don’t think there’s much you can do to change it.”

“Xena’s always been stubborn, but there was a time when she was a softer person,” Marcus said. “After she killed Cortese, when she returned the next year it was like she was a completely different person. If I would’ve known that’s what she had planned...I would’ve have done everything in my power to stop her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide  
> Xena: Warrior Princess Terms
> 
> Theater of Dionysus: Located in Athens, where many Greek plays were performed in Ancient Greece (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Theatre-of-Dionysus)


	19. Argo's Flight and Regrets of the Past

“Hey Xena,” Marcus said as he spotted her walking outside of the Great Hall. “Where are you headed?”

“Courtyard,” Xena said. “Thought Argo might like a chance to spread her wings a bit.”

“I’m sure she would love that. Want me to join you?” Marcus asked reaching inside the cage to pet her. Argo had never been truly comfortable with anyone but Xena, but she’d always warmed up to Marcus a little more than anyone else in Xena’s life. 

“I’d rather be alone right now Marcus,” Xena said.

“Fair enough,” he said. Xena was happy Marcus wasn’t the pushy type, it made times she wanted to be alone much easier. “Hey Xena, hold on a second.”

Xena stopped walking towards the courtyard.

“Are you doing alright after everything that happened earlier?” Marcus asked. “I know how hard it must have been to see that.”

“I will be,” Xena said, not sure if that were really true. “Thanks Marcus.”

Xena pushed open the front doors and made her way to the empty courtyard. She released Argo and watched as she flapped her wings with a swell of pride, as if she owned the air surrounding her. After a while she decided she’d had enough flying and she perched herself back onto Xena’s arm, waiting to be placed back into her cage. 

“I can always count on you, can't I girl?” Xena said to the small happy bird who was now nibbling on a nice piece of owl food. She’d let Argo fly around for just over an hour not realizing how late it had become until she felt a presence behind her. She turned around to see Headmaster Ma whose face had melded into a subtle, yet apparent scowl.

For a moment neither one of them said a word. 

“Xena, you know better than to be out here so late.”

“Argo’s been cooped up all day,” Xena said simply.

“That’s no excuse. You’ve had the entire afternoon to take her out here,” Ma said. “Though I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve never been one for following the rules.”

“I’m just as full of disappointments today as I was all those years ago,” Xena said.

“That’s not true,” Ma said. “When I found you in that old barn and you looked up at me with those scared eyes, I saw a child who was lost, a child who just needed a little guidance in their life. And you were strong, by the Gods you were strong. To have lasted all those years on your own…” Ma shook her head. “But it wasn’t until I saw how kind you were with my family, how well you fit in with us all that I really realized the scared little child I’d met in the barn was meant for so much more. My daughters adored you. I saw so much potential in you, Xena. In your heart and in every bit of your soul.”

“You haven’t seen me that way in a long time,” Xena said. “Not since the day I avenged Lyceus.”

“No. I didn’t stop having faith in you until the day you hurt that poor girl. That’s when I realized you were irredeemable. When you killed Cortese’s men it was different. I knew you’d done it out of rage, that I could understand. I know I was too hard on you for that. But that doesn’t excuse what you did after.”

Xena closed her eyes. “Things would’ve been a lot better for you if you’d never found me.”

“Yes. They would have,” Ma agreed. “I wonder every day how much better my life may have turned out.”

Xena instantly felt the sting of the words. She hadn’t actually expected such a blunt response, and hearing it out loud cast away all the doubt she’d ever had of it being true.

“I also wonder…” Ma continued, “what may have happened had I stood up for you during your trial all those years ago. I was so angry with myself for having taught you those things. I’d never expected you would use them in that way. But Azkaban is no place for a 15 year old girl. When you came back you were broken beyond repair. I should have helped you then and stopped you from becoming the monster you are now.”

Xena was silent as she absorbed Ma’s confession. She remembered the night she’d been released from Azkaban. Remembered breaking down at Ma’s doorstep, never having felt so low in her life, begging Ma to take her back into her family and promising to change her ways. When she’d said no, it was like a knife to the heart.

“Too little too late I guess,” Xena said, her icy voice reflecting the bitterness she was feeling. Surges of anger washed through her as she realized what Ma was saying. She’d held onto some hope for Xena when she returned from Azkaban, but she’d been too afraid to say it, and it had cost Xena the last shred of humanity she’d so desperately clung to that night. Now she really was past saving.


	20. Poems and Broken Hearts

After almost a month of dating, Gabrielle and Talus were getting increasingly more comfortable in their relationship with each day that passed. They spent nearly all of their free time with one another; the awkward early dating jitters had melted away, and things were going wonderful. Better than wonderful, in fact.

As Gabrielle made her way across the courtyard and passed the stony hedges, she realized she had a big embarrassing grin on her face, which only increased in size as she spotted Talus walking towards. “Talus! You’ll never believe what happened on my way over here. Apparently Professor Hugo convinced Ma to hold this year’s play in front of the entire school. They’ll be casting tryouts in a few weeks and I was wondering if you’d like to practice with me. I doubt we’ll get a starring role as first years, but it would still be a great to -” Gabrielle suddenly stopped talking as she noticed Talus wasn’t joining in on the excitement

“Gabrielle there’s something really serious we need to talk about,” Talus said. 

_ Oh no. This is going to be the talk,  _ Gabrielle thought.  _ He doesn’t like me anymore, or maybe he’s found someone else he likes more. _

Talus stood silent for a moment, and Gabrielle actually felt bad for him. If this really was what she thought it was, it wasn’t his fault if he no longer had feelings for her. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t be mad at him for that when the same thing had happened to her with Perdicus.

“Talus it’s alright,” she said. “If you don’t have feelings for me anymore, I understand.”

“What - heavens no. You are the greatest girl I’ve ever known,” Talus said. “It’s about my heart Gabrielle. I’m dying.”

“Talus there’s nothing to be ashamed of. If you’re hearts not in this relationship...well you see some people just aren’t attracted to each other. Of course I wish we could stay together, but if it’s really killing you - Talus how could I possibly ask you to stay with me?” Gabrielle said the words calmly, but her eyes had started to tear up. She’d been so happy with Talus and their connection had felt so real, she couldn’t imagine him not feeling the same way. Worse still she couldn’t imagine not spending countless hours with Talus talking and enjoying one another’s company.

Talus shook his head and let out a deep sigh. “No Gabrielle, I mean my heart is failing. I was born with a medical condition and I only have a few days left.”

Gabrielle felt the world stop for a minute as she tried to make sense of what he was saying. “No, no that can’t be,” she shook her head feverishly. It wasn’t true, it couldn’t be true. “I don’t believe it…Talus tell me this is a joke. Please - tell me it isn’t true.”

“I wish it were Gabrielle,” Talus said. “I wanted to tell you earlier, much earlier, but I thought I had more time.”

How was he staying so calm about this? Gabrielle felt like her entire world was falling apart and she wasn’t even the one who was dying. 

“My parents are already on their way. I’m supposed to meet in the headmaster’s office right away,” he said. “But I wanted to see you first.”

It wasn’t fair. She was supposed to have more time with him. She didn’t care if they were just friends, this couldn’t be the last time they were going to see one another.

“I wanted to give you this,” Talus said, pulled a folded piece of paper from his cloak pocket. “It’s a poem I wrote when we first started dating.”

“Talus -” Gabrielle started, but he’d already placed the paper in Gabrielle’s hand. “Maybe I could come with you. Back to your hometown. Maybe I -”

“I would love nothing more than to have you there with me,” Talus said. “But I can’t ask that of you. It would be too hard to say goodbye that way.”

Gabrielle wanted to argue, but she realized he was right. How could she watch him die? Not to mention it wouldn’t be fair to Talus’s family for her to take time away from her son.

“Gabrielle I’m so lucky to have found you,” Talus said. “You gave me a chance to fall in love.”

Gabrielle leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Both of them were crying now. “I love you too Talus.”

Then she watched as he walked away for the last time.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the next few trainings Xena noticed a difference in Gabrielle’s effort, which had gotten increasingly smaller as the days went on.

“Well someone’s being awfully quiet,” Xena said. Gabrielle had barely said two words since they met at the courtyard.

“Hmm?” Gabrielle blinked. Her eyes looked empty, almost as if she had no awareness of what was going on. “Sorry, what were we working on again?”

“Nothing. We haven’t started yet.” Xena stared at her, searching her for any indication on what was going on. “Gabrielle, are you alright?”

Gabrielle shook her head, suddenly unable to contain her emotions. “Talus passed away this morning. He left for home a few days ago and his parents sent me an owl to...to tell me he’d -” she ran forward and before Xena knew it was sobbing into her arms. “Oh Xena...I can’t believe...he’s....really...gone.” 

Xena wrapped an arm around Gabrielle, but said nothing. Xena wanted to help Gabrielle, to make her feel better, but she was never good at consoling people. She’d been that way her whole life. Xena couldn’t figure out why Gabrielle hadn’t chosen to hug Marcus instead. She’d barely been anything but hostile towards her.

“I miss him...so much,” Gabrielle said.

“It’s gonna be alright Gabrielle. Everything's gonna be okay.” Xena wrapped her other arm around Gabrielle and for several minutes held her as she cried. Marcus had decided to take that opportunity to feed Argo, but once he was done and Gabrielle had regained some of her composure, Marcus made his way over to them both.

“He had a great friend in you,” Marcus said. “That’s more than some people have in their entire lifetime.”

Gabrielle gave a small smile, “thanks Marcus. I don’t know what I’d do without you and Xena here.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Marcus said. Xena was grateful for Marcus’s ability to console people, especially in this moment. But despite helping Gabrielle feel better, Xena knew she'd need a lot more than words to truly relieve the pain. 

For the next few weeks training went relatively the same. Xena missed the long bouts of talking Gabrielle was surprisingly able to deliver with ease, even though at times she’d hoped for a little peace and quiet. Things had changed between them all after Gabrielle’s breakdown. Somehow it had brought them all closer together.

“We need to find some way to cheer her up,” Marcus said after one particularly quiet training session. “This has been going on long enough.”


	21. Grief and Loss

Gabrielle laid awake on the Hufflepuff couch with Talus’s poem opened in her hands, she’d read it a thousand times already and it never got any easier to read.

She nearly fell onto the floor when she heard footsteps marching down the steps. She peeked her head up just enough to recognize that it was Adonis. He moved slowly across the room and sat on the ledge of one of the windows. Gabrielle debated whether or not to join him. They hadn’t said a word to one another in weeks, each too afraid to confront their emotions. _It’s time to grow up. Adonis lost Talus too, you can’t hog all the grief for yourself._

Gabrielle slowly got off the couch and tiptoed her way towards Adonis, careful not to spook him and wake the rest of Hufflepuff house.

“Adonis,” she whispered. The sudden sound surprised him, but he was able to recover quickly. He wiped the tears from his face and avoiding Gabrielle’s gaze, turned his attention towards the window. Ignoring his apparent desire to be alone Gabrielle took a seat next to him on the ledge.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked.

Adonis continued to stare out the window and barely managed a, “sure.”

“I haven’t been sleeping either,” Gabrielle said. “It’s like the more I try the more difficult it gets. You know, and normally - well normally it doesn’t take much for me to fall right to sleep.”

Adonis sniffled but said nothing.

“I’ve never lost someone I cared so much about before,” Gabrielle continued. “I feel like it’s all been just one big, long nightmare I can’t wake up from. As soon as I think the pain might have subsided just a little bit, it comes right back.”

There was a long silence as Adonis appeared to be considering what to do next.

“When me and Talus were little,” he said finally, his gaze still fixed on the window. “We were best friends. We’d walk outside for hours, just exploring the town...we weren’t looking for anything in particular. It was just a way to get away from everything…”

“What were you getting away from?” she asked surprised. Talus and Adonis seemed so well-put together, it was hard to imagine they had any trouble back home.

“My family, the rest of the town,” he explained. “It wasn’t easy for me growing up. When my parents found out I wasn’t attracted to girls, they threw me out of the house and tried to pretend I wasn’t their son.”

“That’s awful,” Gabrielle said.

“Talus was my only friend and now I have no one. He was a brother to me, even more so than most of my real brothers. The only brother who ever supported me was Adonis, and he joined the Auror division when I was really young so he wasn’t around much. The thing is, Talus had so many friends around town. He didn’t need me. But he stuck by my side and gave me a place to stay.”

“He was a good person,” Gabrielle said. “One of the best.”

Adonis finally turned to Gabrielle, “I wish it woulda been me who’d died. Talus brightened the lives of everyone he was around.”

“Adonis you are a wonderful person,” Gabrielle said. “You treat others with such kindness and care. I thought it was really admirable how you offered to help Aphrodite after she’d fainted. Without any hesitation.”

Adonis said nothing, and Gabrielle suspected there was more to the story.

“Adonis you’re a good person. I know it.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “And you have me, I don’t care who you’re attracted to - anybody would be lucky to have you as a friend.”

Adonis smiled, surprised at what Gabrielle was saying. “You made him really happy, you know.”

“So did you,” Gabrielle said.

Gabrielle was surprised at how good it felt to be talking about her shared grief with Adonis, someone who really understood the pain she was feeling. Of course it didn’t fix everything, and Gabrielle still felt like her heart was being ripped apart every time she breathed, but it was the tiniest bit of hope for moving forward. Maybe she would never truly move on from Talus’s death, but maybe it was possible that the pain could be eased just a little bit.

Suddenly, Marcus appeared before them. “Gabrielle, Xena and I were thinking about going out some place. She’s out waiting in the hall. Would you like to join us?”

“Sure,” she said. Then she glanced at Adonis who was moving off from the ledge. “As long as Adonis can come too.”

“Nah, I think I’ll just stay here for the night,” Adonis said. “I don’t think I’m ready to go out just yet.”

“If it’s too difficult for you we’ll just head back,” Gabrielle said.

“You guys don’t need an extra person bringing down the mood,” he said. “Maybe next time.”

“Nonsense. The more the merrier,” Marcus said with a smile. “Come on, we can numb some of the pain away with some alcohol.”

That seemed to do the trick. 

“When are we leaving?”


	22. Alcohol and the Living Dead

The Hogsmeade pub was lively with Irish jigs and several people dancing wildly all around the room. Most of the tables lay empty until Xena and the others found themselves a seat on the cleanest table they could find.

Not seconds before they all sat down, a barmaid appeared before them. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“I’ll take 3 of everything you’ve got,” Adonis said. He didn’t look ready to face the night, and neither did Gabrielle. Once they finished ordering a few rounds, Adonis laid his head down on his arm and waited impatiently for the ale to arrive.

“They’re almost finished pouring the cups,” Gabrielle said, putting a hand on his shoulder sympathetically. Adonis smiled weakly and squeezed her hand to acknowledge his appreciation and seconds later the glasses finally arrived. Adonis snatched them up in an instant and began gulping feverishly. “Careful Adonis, you don’t wanna drink too much too soon,” Gabrielle said stopping him from grabbing what was probably his fifth glass which caused him to scowl.

“You’re not my mother,” he said reaching for another glass. 

This time Marcus stopped him. “Gabrielle’s right, you’ll only make yourself sick.” Marcus took a cup for himself and took a few sips. Xena did so as well, neither one of them planning on getting drunk. It would’ve taken several glasses for Xena to become drunk anyway. Gabrielle had elected to drink very little of it as well, but Xena had a strong speculation it would be enough to make Gabrielle drunk too. “Drinking more isn’t going to make it work any faster.”

“Well I hope it starts working soon,” Adonis said staring at the empty jugs disappointedly, unaware the ale was already starting to take some effect on him. 

“We could dance while we wait,” Gabrielle suggested. Adonis nodded and they both stood up. “Would either of you like to join us?”

“No that’s alright, we’re good right here,” Marcus said. “Neither one of us are much for dancing.”

Xena offered a small nod in agreement.

Gabrielle and Adonis made their way to the dancefloor, it wasn’t long before they were dancing around and having as much fun as they could in their depressed state of mind, while Xena and Marcus kept a watchful and protective eye on them both.

“Do you remember when we used to come here?” Marcus asked.

“Yes,” Xena replied simply, although a smirk quickly appeared on her face. 

Xena remembered what her life had been like at that point. She’d been training with Ma for years and was getting closer and closer to her end goal, killing Cortese and every man responsible for Lyceus’s death. Having that goal had finally given her a chance to push aside her grief and focus on something else. Ma had still trusted her, and she’d had Marcus at her side just as she did now. In fact, she’d almost forgotten how much fun her and Marcus used to have together. She’d taken it all for granted and if things hadn’t happened the way they did, things may have gone a lot different between them.

“Why can’t we go back to those simpler times?” Marcus asked.

The question was something that had weighed on her mind every day since Lyceus’s death. Xena often wondered what it may have been like if Lyceus had lived, but it did no good to dwell on things that could never change. 

“You know every time we came here...” Marcus said. “I got that much closer to finally kissing you.” 

“Why didn’t you?” Xena asked.

Marcus laughed. “I lost my nerve. And I was afraid I’d get punched.”

“You very well may have,” Xena said, also laughing at the thought.

“Well then I guess I made the right decision,” he teased. Then suddenly, he turned serious. “Xena I regret not telling you how I felt. I think we could have been really happy. And maybe you’d have had something to live for other than revenge. Things could have gone very differently. Instead I let our friendship drift away. I should have tried harder.”

“Marcus, it wouldn’t have made any difference. There is nothing in this world that would have stopped me from going after Cortese and his men, no matter how strong my feelings were for you,” Xena said. “There’s nobody to blame but myself.”

“Well maybe things can be different now,” Marcus said. “Maybe you don’t have to leave after this term. Maybe you and I could go away for the summer. Leave all of this behind for awhile.”

Xena wished she could say yes to Marcus, but that would be a direct violation of her don’t form any attachments rule and she had to stay firm. “I’m sorry Marcus. My mind is made up.” 

The effect of the drinks slowly started to settle in and having downed the greatest amount of liquor by far, Adonis was practically in a stupor. He stumbled over to their table with Gabrielle barely holding him up and got awfully close to Xena. His breath was so strong Xena resisted the urge to push him away. “Wha’ abou’ you Gabrielle? You wanna dance with me?”

“That’s not Gabrielle,” the real Gabrielle said, steering Adonis away from them and mouthing the word sorry to Xena and Marcus.

“Ok I think it’s time we took those two home. Before they pass out in the middle of the dancefloor,” Marcus said.

Xena was about to agree when she saw someone from the corner of her eye, a brown haired girl with beetle black eyes. She was talking to the barkeep and she didn’t look happy with the information she was receiving. 

“Marcus we need to go,” Xena said suddenly, stepping behind him so Alti wouldn’t spot her if she glanced over. 

“What, Xena what is -” Marcus started, but Xena held up a hand to stop him.

“We have to be very quiet,” she whispered. Alti had ears like a hawk, and they needed to keep all attention away from them.

Slowly as to not attract attention, Marcus and Xena made their way past the crowd of people and out of the tavern. Once they were outside Marcus stared at her with great concern.

“What was that all about Xena?” he asked.

“Alti, can’t see me around Gabrielle,” Xena said.

Xena knew Marcus could be trusted with the information and admittedly it would help to have an extra person on her side.

“There’s a ruby hidden in the castle. It’s said to be so powerful, anyone who absorbs it’s energy will yield a strength rivaling the Gods,” Xena explained. “Alti wants it but she doesn’t want anyone finding out she’s after it.”

“That makes sense,” Marcus said. “But what does that have to do with Gabrielle? Does she know where the ruby is?”

“No. But Alti thinks she might tell Ma and ruin our chances of getting it,” Xena said.

“Wait a second -” Marcus said, realizing what she’d just said. “Xena, you’re after the ruby too? I don’t understand. I thought you’d changed. I thought you didn’t care about having more power.”

“I am. At first I did want it for the power,” Xena explained. “But I don’t care about any of that anymore.”

“Then why do you still want it?” Marcus asked.

Xena closed her eyes. “Because Marcus, it’s the only way I can bring Lyceus back.”


	23. Alcohol and Getting Caught

It wasn’t long before Gabrielle was really starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. Adonis was getting heavier with every passing second and she barely had the strength to hold him up any longer.

“I think we should go find Xena and Marcus,” Gabrielle said, spotting the empty table where they had once been sitting. “Or maybe find you a place to lie down for a bit.”

Adonis groaned in response. “More...dancing…” he said slowly.

“Need some help?” The hair on Gabrielle’s neck suddenly stood on end as she recognized the chilling voice.

“No I think we’re alright, thanks,” she said without turning around.  _ Heavens above, please don’t recognize us. _

She felt her heart skip a beat as Alti suddenly appeared before her. “What are the two of you doing out here so late?”

“Xeeeena,” Adonis drawled, “and Marrrrrcus.”

Alti’s eyes narrowed. “Xena brought you here?”

“Sorry but we must be going,” Gabrielle said quickly. “Nice catching up.”

“By all means. I have no desire to be in your company any longer than I have to,” Alti sneered. “After all you’ve told me everything I need to know.”

Everything she needed to know? What exactly was Alti talking about? Gabrielle tried to think but her mind was too fuzzy to come up with any rational explanation as to what she meant.

Suddenly all thoughts of escaping Alti were replaced with thousands of questions. 

“Have you found it yet?” Gabrielle blurted.

Alti’s face suddenly broke into an evil grin. “That’s none of your concern.”

Had she found it? By the Gods, Alti found the ruby?

“At least tell me what it does,” Gabrielle said quickly, wanting to get the words out before Alti could leave.

“Why? Afraid I’ll use it to snap your skinny little neck in two?”

Gabrielle swallowed hard. The conversation was making her very uncomfortable. “I just think you should think twice about what you plan to do. Whatever sort of power that ruby holds shouldn’t be taken lightly. It could really hurt people.”

“Oh you’re right Gabrielle, we wouldn’t want that,” Alti said with a grin, and something told Gabrielle that was exactly what Alti wanted. 

Once Alti left Gabrielle was still in a state of panic. Alti may have just found the ruby, and even if she hadn’t Gabrielle was now certain Alti didn’t plan to use it with good intentions in mind.

Nearly an hour passed before Xena and Marcus returned. Adonis had finally passed out on one of the tables and Gabrielle was surprised at how well she’d been able to stay awake.

“Sorry we had to get something,” Xena said vaguely. “How are you feeling?” a surprising hint of softness had entered her voice, however small. 

“I’m alright,” Gabrielle said, her heart still pounding from her conversation with Alti. “I think Adonis is in for a rough morning though.”

Marcus lifted him over his shoulder and the three of them made their way out of the establishment.

“Did you see Alti?” Xena asked.

Gabrielle nodded.

“She didn’t speak with you did she?”

_ By the Gods she knows!  _ Gabrielle took deep breaths.  _ How could she know? She wasn’t there. Pull yourself together Gabrielle or she’ll become suspicious. _

But any attempts to calm herself were futile, as her body was already reacting in a nervous jitter. She always struggled to lie when the person she was lying too could get seriously hurt from the information.

“Gabrielle?” Xena pushed.

“No she didn’t speak with me, why would she speak with me?” Gabrielle’s words came out so fast that Xena stared at her for a moment. 

“Good,” Xena said. “You know Gabrielle, I’m surprised you’ve been able to hold out this -”

Xena stopped as she noticed Gabrielle had fallen asleep in the grass.


	24. Blankets and Proposals

“I can lift her -” Marcus started, heading towards Gabrielle’s sleeping form.

“No I got it,” Xena said. She lifted Gabrielle slowly over her shoulders and took extra care not to jostle her from her sleep. When they arrived at the Hufflepuff commons, Marcus carried Adonis up to the boys' dormitory and disguised himself as a Hufflepuff student to avoid suspicion.

Xena set Gabrielle down onto the couch she normally slept on and wrapped her in one of the blankets from her suitcase. She wondered how she hadn't scared Gabrielle off yet.

Suddenly Xena sensed Marcus reappearing at her side. She glanced over and saw a wide grin had settled across his face. 

“Yes?” she asked flatly.

“Nothing it’s just, well I haven’t seen you act this way toward someone in a long time,” Marcus responded, the grin still plastered on his face.

“What do you mean?”

“You care about her,” Marcus said. “I see it more and more every day.”

“I don’t care about anyone Marcus,” Xena said, her voice reaching warning level. “You should know that by now.”

“I know you wouldn’t admit it but you do care about Gabrielle,” Marcus said. “And I think you care about me too. I want to do things differently this time around Xena. Which is why-” he bent down on one knee, “I wanted to ask you something.  I want to be there for you for as long as I can be, Xena. I don’t know how anyone could look at you and not see what I see, a stunning beauty inside and out.”

“Marcus -” Xena started.

“Hold on I just - I need to say this,” he said calmly. “I want you to think about this, about us. If marrying me isn’t what you truly want in your heart, then I will respect your decision and I will never ask again. But I needed you to hear how much I care for you, and how much you are worth caring for. You deserve someone who will never give up on you. And we don’t have to get married right away, we can wait as long as you need. I just want you to know with all your heart you have someone who will stick around no matter what.”

Knowing the only decision she could truly make, she placed a hand on his. “Marcus I’m sorry. I can’t marry you.”

Marcus nodded and got back on his feet. As much as he tried to hide the hurt in his face Xena saw it plain as day.

“You were right about what you said before,” Xena said. “I do care about you. You are the one person I do care about in this world. But the moment I bring Lyceus back to life I’m taking him back to Amphipolis and going somewhere far away.”

“I’ll go with you,” Marcus offered.

“I’m sorry Marcus but I want to live my life alone.”

“It’s okay Xena there’s no need to apologize,” he said, forcing a smile. “I just want you to be happy, and if I can’t do that for you then I want you to find the person who can.”

“You are my friend Marcus,” she said. “Married or not you will always make me happy.”

That, at least, was enough to earn a genuine smile from him. As much as Xena would have been happy to spend her life with Marcus, she knew spending her life alone was the right decision and Marcus deserved a better life than she could ever give him.


	25. Books and Vanishing Cabinets

After her talk with Alti Gabrielle knew she needed to find out more about the ruby, the question was how could she possibly find the information?

Gabrielle remembered what Xena had said about the Room of Requirement and she knew that needed to be her next course of action. After several training sessions with Xena she was finally able to steal the invisibility cloak from her belongings without her noticing, it had not been easy. Instead of attending her first class of the day, History, she made her way to the hidden room, walked past the wall three times, and wished for a place to learn about the Talaemon ruby. When the door appeared she waited for an opening and she slipped inside.

This time, the room appeared much differently than it had for the trainings. Several bookshelves lined the walls and formed several aisles across the room. Wardrobes were stacked in odd configurations all throughout the room, along with several other pieces of furniture and odds and ends items. Gabrielle couldn’t believe how much bigger the room was, and quickly found her excitement turning into dread. _How am I supposed to find what I’m looking for with all this stuff?_

She began her search at the bookshelves, scanning the bindings for any titles that sounded like they may be of use, which surprisingly didn’t narrow her search down very much.

The thought of skipping her classes for the day made Gabrielle feel anxious. Everything from the musty smell of the old books to the words written on the page seemed to have a stronger effect on her as time went on and she wondered how much time had passed since she’d entered the room. _Why didn’t I bring a watch?_ It felt like she’d been in the room for several hours at the least and if she was passed curfew then she’d really be in trouble.

Suddenly in a panic at the thought Gabrielle leafed through the final set of books she’d stacked around her. The pile of rejected stories were scattered in a messy heap where she’d tossed them carelessly. This could be her only chance to find the information, who knew if she’d be able to steal the invisibility cloak again, she didn’t have time for neatness.

After searching several more books she finally came across the information she’d been looking for, the word practically lit up on the page when she finally ran across it. 

_Katerina Talaemon first discovered the strange mineral in 1472 during a routine excavation of a long abandoned archaeological site. Several scientists studied her reaction to the stone and were met with startling results. Those who had known Talaemon previously described her as a kind loving individual, but after coming into contact with the stone she began exhibiting cold and wildly erratic behavior. This peculiar change in Talaemon’s personality worried her loved ones who no longer recognized her as the same person. The biggest revelation, however, was the immense power Talaemon had received from exposure to the mineral. Her husband who had died several years prior had miraculously returned to the living, along with several of Talaemon’s deceased family members after reportedly coming into contact with Talaemon._

Gabrielle’s eyes widened more and more as she continued the passage. The situation was bigger than she’d ever expected. _So this is why Xena wants the ruby too? She wants to bring her brother back to life._

_Oh Xena, I knew you weren’t evil like Alti._

Gabrielle nervously continued.

_Days after Talaemon had seemingly revived several members of her family, she disappeared. A tireless search ensued, and when her whereabouts were finally revealed, she confessed to the gruesome murder of several hundred individuals. She was then sentenced to death._

_The origin of the Talaemon Ruby’s magical composition remains relatively unknown, but decades of research suggest a curse was placed on the stone that turns the souls of those exposed to it into feral beings, stripping them of any humanity within their souls. The stone was then destroyed, but not before another scientist came into contact with it. His humanity had disappeared immediately upon contact and after murdering several villages of people, he was hunted down and terminated as well._

_I have to tell Xena._ Gabrielle ran for the door when she suddenly saw it open. Her heart dropped as she ran to hide behind a stack of wardrobes and tried to remember where she’d left the invisibility cloak. She peeked her head around the corner just enough to spot Alti, who was headed straight towards where she was hiding. 

_By the Gods!_ Gabrielle sprinted to the nearest cabinet she could find and stepped inside. _What’s Alti doing in here? She clearly knows about the stone already, so why would she be searching for more information? Unless she thinks she can find the whereabouts of the stone in the Room of Requirement..._

After several moments of waiting, Gabrielle cracked open the door. But she couldn’t see a thing. The entire room had turned pitch black.

She stepped forward and found herself tripping over a rough piece of ground and onto the hard ground below her. She didn’t remember the floor being so uneven. What had happened?

Fear crept inside her as she felt around for her wand and she had the sinking feeling she wasn’t in the Room of Requirement anymore. Wherever she was felt damp and cold, it sent a cold shiver through her body.

_Where in Tartarus is my wand?_

Finally her hand brushed against a thin stick of wood and she snatched it up quickly, reciting the Lumos incantation she’d learned in Charms class. She was right she wasn’t in the Room of Requirement anymore. She was in a cave of some sort...

Now with the light to guide her, she ran for the cabinet, praying to all the gods that she’d return in the room she’d been in before. What if she could never return home? What if she was lost forever?

Gabrielle sighed with relief when she found herself back in the Room of Requirement. In that moment she didn’t care if she was caught by Alti, she was just happy she’d found herself back in Hogwarts. 

Luckily Alti was nowhere in sight, and Gabrielle suddenly raced out of the Room of Requirement before anything strange could happen. She only just realized she’d forgotten the invisibility cloak when she ran straight into Hagrid and Professor Booksnatcher.

“Gabrielle? What you doing out here?” Professor Booksnatcher asked, a look of surprise on her face.

“Umm - I - umm,” Gabrielle couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Firs’ years aren’ allowed out after curfew,” Hagrid said.

“I’m sorry Gabrielle but Hagrid and I will be forced to decide on a detention for you,” Professor Booksnatcher said.

_Great,_ Gabrielle thought. A detention was just what she needed right now. But that was the farthest of her worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide
> 
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Vanishing Cabinet: cabinet that transports you to the place where a second vanishing cabinet is located (https://www.pottermore.com/explore-the-story/vanishing-cabinet)
> 
> Lumos: light-casting spell, where a light appears at the end of the wand (similar to a flashlight)
> 
> Xena: Warrior Princess Terms  
> Tartarus: where evildoers are sent in the Greek afterlife


	26. Broken Promises and Revelations

“Xena there’s something I need to tell you!”

Xena’s eyes slowly opened. She’d fallen asleep on her copy of _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ while working on a paper for Defense Against the Dark Arts. This was the first year she hadn’t paid another first year to write her essays for her and she was regretting that decision ever since the paper had been assigned.

“Gabrielle what are you doing here?” Xena asked, panic starting to rise. She scanned the room for any signs of Alti. “We can’t be seen together.”

“I know but this can’t wait,” she said quickly. “I’ve found out about the…” she glanced around the room and brought her voice to a whisper, “...about the ruby.”

Xena’s eyes narrowed as anger instantly built up inside her. “I told you not to look into this Gabrielle. Of all the stupid things -”

“I know...but Xena I had to find out what’s going on,” Gabrielle said forcefully. “And it’s a good thing I did. This ruby’s extremely dangerous - we can’t let Alti get her hands on it.” 

“I already know about the ruby,” Xena said.

Gabrielle shook her head. “I don’t think Alti’s told you this.” She threw the book onto the table with a large thud. When she reached the page she was looking for she shoved the book to Xena’s side of the table and placed a finger over the passage. “Xena, anyone who touches the ruby turns into a monster. It eats their soul away until there’s nothing left but darkness - no humanity left within them. I know you want to bring your brother back - but you have to think about what could happen if you do. How would he feel if you killed innocent people so he could live?”

For a moment Xena was surprised that Gabrielle knew about Lyceus, but it wouldn’t have been that hard for her to find out; she could’ve asked almost anyone at school and they’d have told her. The bigger surprise was what Alti had conveniently left out of all their conversations about the effects of the ruby. But it didn’t matter, she had already lost her humanity long ago, this would make no difference. 

“That doesn’t change anything,” Xena said after a long silence.

Gabrielle looked at Xena sympathetically. “I understand how hard this must be - if something were to happen to Lila - the Gods know I’d jump at an opportunity to bring her back in an instant if there was any way. But I couldn’t do something like that to her if it meant people dying in her place. She’d never forgive me for it, and I’m sure your brother would feel the same. Not to mention he’d be losing you in the process. Xena, you’d be hunted down and killed.”

“I don’t care about any of that as long as Lyceus is alive. He died because of me,” she said. “I allowed him to fight by my side when our town was attacked.”

Saying the words aloud was enough to bring the memories back. She fought back tears as she had trained herself to do years ago.

“Xena you were just a kid,” Gabrielle said. “How could you have known that would happen? You can’t blame yourself for that. Please, just promise me you’ll really think this through before going after the ruby.”

“Like the promise you made to me?” Xena said dryly.

Gabrielle shook her head guiltily, “I’m really sorry about that - Xena please, just think about it. I don’t want you getting hurt. You’re my friend and I care about what happens to you.” 

“Friend? Gabrielle, we barely know each other. If you hadn’t begged me for lessons I’d have avoided you the rest of the year. Now I wish I had.” The words felt bitter as Xena spoke them and she could feel her heart drop for a moment as she saw the look of complete hurt on Gabrielle’s face. Gabrielle didn’t deserve it, but if this was the only way to keep her from harm Xena needed to be as harsh as possible. 

“Maybe you don’t see me as a friend but that’s how I see you. If I have to go to Headmaster Ma just to save you -”

Gabrielle started leaving and Xena reached for her arm to stop her. “Nothing will stand in my way of bringing Lyceus back.”

Surprisingly enough Xena’s sudden forcefulness hadn’t scared Gabrielle. “I’m sorry Xena - I didn’t mean that. I would never do something like that to you.” She shook her head. “Please forgive me.”

Xena wanted to tell Gabrielle she did forgive her and everything would be okay, but it would be better for Gabrielle if she rid herself of Xena for good. “I’ve got work to do Gabrielle. Are we finished?” 

Xena closed the book and slid it back towards Gabrielle. Then she turned back to her work, unable to see the pain in Gabrielle’s eyes any longer.


	27. Detentions and Strange Markings

“Ma’e sure yer gettin’ all of it!” Hagrid called out to Gabrielle as she shoveled another mound of manure into Hagrid’s wheelbarrow. There was a surprising amount of animal waste scattered around the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest and the smell of it all was so horrible, cleaning up at the farm back home was no comparison. After an hour though, her nose had finally adjusted to the rancid smell and it wasn’t quite so overwhelming.

“When I heard yer parents were farmers, I thought this ‘d be the perfec’ job for ya,” he said smiling over to her.

Gabrielle couldn’t think of a single farmer who enjoyed the task of shoveling manure but she kept her thoughts to herself. Hagrid was so kind and willing to help she had no intention of hurting his feelings.

“How long have you had Beaky?” she asked glancing over at the hippogriff in question, who was stretching his legs and letting out a big yawn.

“‘s been 5 years now,” he said proudly. “Always been so loyal, that Beaky. Could trust ‘im with my life.”

Gabrielle was suddenly reminded of Xena’s reaction to her betrayal. _Just another person Xena can add to the list of people that’s let her down,_ Gabrielle thought guiltily. 

“So stupid!” she scolded herself, shaking her head shamefully. “If only I’d just left it alone. But then Xena would have never found out and that wouldn’t have been good either -”

“Lef’ what alone?” Hagrid asked. Gabrielle’s faced turned an embarrassed shade of pink as she realized she’d said the words aloud.

“Umm...nothing I was just...” she trailed off for a moment, then the words suddenly started pouring out of her, “I did something terrible - I hurt someone I care about. Now she’ll never trust me again and I don’t know what to do - I mean how can she trust me ever again.”

Hagrid nodded, clearly trying to follow exactly what Gabrielle was saying. But after a moment he smiled down at her. “I reckon we all hurt people we care abou’ one point or another.”

“Has something like that happened to you before Hagrid?”

He nodded. “Plenty ‘a times.”

“And they forgave you?” she asked hopefully.

“Not all of ‘em,” he said. “Tha’s how you find the friends who’re true. Who’ll have yer back no matter what happens. Although depends on what you done I s’pose.” 

Suddenly, Gabrielle spotted Professor Booksnatcher walking down the hill leading to them.

“Hagrid, would you mind if I steal Miss Gabrielle away from you?” she asked politely.

Hagrid nodded, though he was clearly disappointed. He walked over to Gabrielle and grabbed the shovel. “Yeah, I’d say yer finished.”

Gabrielle smiled, relieved to be done. Then, to the young girls surprise, Hagrid placed a large hand on her shoulder, just about knocking her to the ground, and said, “It’ll all work out. You’ll see.”

“Thanks Hagrid.” His words had been oddly comforting. 

“Now make sure yer stickin’ to yer curfew or I’ll be forced ter give ya another detention,” he said sternly. “Much as I’d love the company.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’ve been told that Hagrid can be a bit quirky with his detentions, so I thought I’d spare you an entire evening of it,” Professor Booksnatcher said once they arrived in her classroom.

“Thanks,” Gabrielle said. “I don’t mind helping Hagrid out, I think he gets pretty lonely.”

Professor Booksnatcher smiled, surprised by Gabrielle’s response. “That he does. Now, if you don’t mind taking a seat here…”

Gabrielle joined her at the desk where several books were packed in messy heaps that could barely stand up on their own.

“I want you to sort each book according to topic. Books about non-human creatures will go farthest to the right, books about spells in the middle, and books about the history of dark arts on the left. Once the pile is large enough we’ll sort them each onto the bookshelf in alphabetical order.”

Gabrielle nodded and they both began sorting the books. “Are all of these books yours?”

“Yes, this room was woefully limited on the number of books available...although the library does have a greater selection,” Professor Booksnatcher said, then suddenly as she reached for another book the pile came tumbling down, forming an even messier heap than before. “Of all the luck -”

“I can help,” Gabrielle said, grabbing a few of the fallen books herself. 

“No that’s alright - it was my fault.” She reached for another book and her sleeve was suddenly pulled back to reveal a strange red marking on her wrist strongly resembling a scar. Gabrielle recognized the marking immediately from the book about the Taelamon ruby.

Professor Booksnatcher quickly covered up the marking with an embarrassed look on her face. Gabrielle knew if she was going to find out anything about the Taelamon ruby she’d have to do so indirectly. There was no mistaking her reaction of surprise and Gabrielle hoped she didn’t suspect the real reason behind it. She went back to working on the books and waited for several minutes to pass before talking again.

“That speech you gave the first day of class about the dangers of power…” Gabrielle said trying to keep her voice casual. “...what made you decide to give that lesson?”

“I’ve experienced first-hand what power can do to a person. Even the most well-meaning and kind-hearted of people can fall prey to it,” Professor Booksnatcher said. “It’s a shame my words fell on deaf ears.”

“I’m sure some students were listening,” Gabrielle said, though neither one of them seemed certain of that.

“I hope so,” Professor Booksnatcher said. “The more dark wizards I can prevent the better. I’m glad to hear at least one of my students was listening.”

“Have you ever had experiences with dark wizards?” Gabrielle asked.

“I did. In fact, one of them murdered my husband in cold blood,” Professor Booksnatcher said. “My husband was meant to be an example to his followers not to cross him.”

Gabrielle shook her head in disgust and before she could say anything Professor Booksnatcher continued.

“They say grief heals with time, but mine never did,” she said. “Frankly, if it wasn’t for my sons life wouldn’t be worth living. Anyway, after he passed away I found a way to bring him back, and I was so desperate I nearly sacrificed everything to do it. It took both of my sons to stop me. That’s why I place so much emphasis on the dangers of power. All it takes is one reason and you risk losing everything that’s good about yourself.”

Which was exactly where Xena was headed…

“Hypothetically speaking...” Gabrielle said. “What would be the best thing to do if you knew someone you cared about who, you know, planned on using something extremely powerful to bring back what they lost, but they would be risking a lot by doing so.”

For a brief moment Professor Booksnatcher looked slightly suspicious, but then seemed to decide against the feeling. “Hypothetically speaking, that person should turn in the power to someone who will know how to handle it.”

“What if they can’t?” Gabrielle asked. That certainly wasn’t an option she could consider.

“Well, then they would need to find some other way to convince them not to use it,” Professor Booksnatcher said. 

Convincing Xena of anything was going to be a challenge all on it’s own, Gabrielle wasn’t even sure it was possible, especially after what had happened earlier that day.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide
> 
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Forbidden Forest: forest located on Hogwarts ground, has a wide variety of creatures living in it (https://www.pottermore.com/explore-the-story/the-forbidden-forest)  
> Hippogriff: winged creature that is half eagle (the upper portion) and half horse (the bottom portion (https://www.pottermore.com/explore-the-story/hippogriffs)


	28. Wands and Repercussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If you're really squeamish when it comes to blood skip to the next chapter (I'll explain in an A/N what you've missed).

“What do you mean Xena isn’t coming?” Gabrielle asked with concern. She knew Xena was angry with her, but had she really decided to stop their trainings too?

“I’m sorry Gabrielle. She’s very upset about what happened and she told me not to contact you. I shouldn’t be here right now but I thought you deserved an explanation.”

Suddenly Gabrielle broke down into tears. “It’s alright Marcus, I understand why she’s angry. I broke a promise.”

Marcus shook his head, “that’s part of the reason but it’s not the whole truth.”

“Really? Well what is it? What’s the whole truth?” Gabrielle couldn’t imagine any other reason for Xena to be angry with her.

“Alti threatened your life if Xena kept in contact with you,” Marcus said. “Xena doesn’t want you taking any more risks that could get you hurt. And I can’t blame her. Alti doesn’t have a conscience. She doesn’t care who she hurts along the way.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I mean maybe before I would have believed it, but Xena made it very clear she doesn’t care about me,” Gabrielle said.

“That’s not true. Gabrielle listen, I know Xena doesn’t show her affection in the way most others do, but I’ve been friends with her long enough to see the difference between who she does and doesn’t care about. Xena cares about you. And you can’t give up on her. Not now.” His voice was more like a plea than a demand, and Gabrielle couldn’t help but believe what he was saying to be true. “She needs us now more than ever.”

“You’re right,” Gabrielle said as she was filled with a new sense of hope. She was going to win Xena’s friendship back one way or another.

\----------------------------------------------------------

After Xena had finally finished writing her essay she made her way to the Slytherin common room. She was surprised to find Marcus sitting on one of the chairs in the room. 

“Is everything alright Marcus?” Xena asked. His expression alerted Xena something was bothering him. It was an expression she rarely saw with Marcus.

“I thought we could talk for a minute,” he said.

“Okay,” Xena said, caught off guard by the seriousness in his voice. “Marcus, what’s going on?”

“I know you’re angry with Gabrielle but you’re being too harsh with her,” he said. “She’s just a kid.”

“That’s exactly why I’m being so harsh with her,” Xena said. She couldn’t believe Marcus wasn’t siding with her decision to keep Gabrielle away from the trouble. “You know the deal Alti made with me.”

“I know but Xena she really thinks she’s done something wrong. You should have seen her at the courtyard.” Xena looked away. “I see how happy you are during your trainings. Gabrielle looks up to you, she sees in you the same thing I see. You deserve to have that in your life. I just don’t want to see you throwing it away.”

Before Xena could respond a loud cackle broke out. Xena and Marcus whipped around to see Alti standing before them.

“So the two of you are a thing now? I never would have guessed you’d end up with such a weakling Xena.”

“He’s stronger than you’ll ever be,” Xena said coolly. “Do we need to speak privately about something, Alti?”

“No I think your little boy toy can hear this,” Alti said, a wicked grin crossing her face. “I’ve come to tell you that our deal has been terminated.”

_Maybe this isn’t what it seems like._ Xena steadied her breathing and returned a cautious gaze to Alti. “What did I do this time?” she asked, forcing the emotion out of her voice and managing to stay calm.

“Exactly what I told you not to do,” she said with a glare. “You’ve been speaking with the blonde.”

Xena closed her eyes as realization hit. Alti had spotted them talking together at the library. That had to be it. 

Why had Xena let herself be so careless?

“I haven’t spoken to her since after the train ride,” Xena said carefully, hoping with all hope that Alti was bluffing.

“That’s not what she told me in the tavern,” Alti said.

_Gabrielle, what were you thinking?_ Xena should have been more cautious, she should have never let Gabrielle get so close to her.

“Relax, we both know I can’t kill you,” Alti said when Xena pulled out her wand. “I will enjoy killing your little friend though.”

A black swirl of light surrounded Alti as she started to apparate.

“No Alti, wait!” Xena threw her wand to the ground and held her hands up. “Kill me right here!”

The black light disappeared and Alti stared at Xena suspiciously.

“Come on we both know you’ve wanted to for years,” Xena said desperately. “Now’s your chance. I won’t stop you.”

“Xena don’t do this,” Marcus pleaded as he watched the love of his life stand helplessly before Alti. “You can still go after the ruby. We’ll stay out of your way. There’s no need to kill anyone.”

“Someone has to pay for Xena’s disobedience,” Alti said.

“Gabrielle is no threat to you,” Xena said. “She’ll never find the ruby. And even if she does she’d never use it. Not if it meant she might hurt others in the process.”

“I don’t believe you’ll just let me kill you,” Alti said.

“Take my wand.”

“I’ve seen you cast spells without a wand before,” Alti said.

“Even if I attack you you’ll find some way to go after Gabrielle,” Xena said. “I won’t risk her life on that chance.”

Xena knew there was no guarantee Alti wouldn’t just kill her 

“Xena don’t do this,” Marcus pleaded again.

“It’s okay Marcus,” Xena said. She kicked her wand to Alti who picked it up with devilish glee.

“Yours too,” Alti said to Marcus.

Marcus glared as he tossed his wand over as well.

“Now this is getting interesting,” she said. “You know Xena I never thought you’d be one to give up so easily. All for some hopeless first year. It's pathetic. You had so much potential when you didn’t have a conscience.”

Xena kept her eyes open as Alti pointed a wand at her not wanting to give her the satisfaction of fear. Alti cast diffindo several times and as if in slow motion Xena watched as several sparks of light flew towards her. She heard Marcus shouting her name in the distance. Then she watched in horror as he suddenly jumped in front of her and blocked the spell with his body, a large cut appearing across his chest as the first spell crashed into his body.

“Marcus!” Xena caught him in her arms, placing her hands over the wounds that slowly started to reveal themselves. “Marcus why did you -”

“Couldn’t...let you...die,” Marcus forced out. He smiled weakly and reached a hand up to grab Xena.

“Oh Marcus…” she held him closer as tears ran down her cheeks. There was no way to save him in time with the amount of blood he was losing. 

“Don’t give up on Gabrielle…you deserve...to be...happy,” he forced out weakly.

“Shh it’s okay,” she said softly. “I’m going to use the ruby’s power on you too. I’ll bring you back.”

“No,” he said, suddenly spitting up some blood. “Xena...I don’t want you…to lose your humanity for me. ”

“Marcus I won’t let you die,” Xena said forcefully.

He looked up pleadingly, “please...Xena.”

His eyes drifted shut as Xena held him close. “I loved you Marcus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide  
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Apparition: way a person can magically teleport themselves somewhere else, for more advanced witches and wizards (https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Apparition)


	29. Weapons and Shattered Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: What you missed from last chapter if you skipped it was Alti killing Marcus to punish Xena for talking with Gabrielle.

_This has got to work,_ Gabrielle thought excitedly to herself. Lila always forgave Gabrielle when she bought her a nice present no matter what their argument had been about.

The only problem was Gabrielle had no idea what to get Xena. She’d shopped around several stores in Hogsmeade and nothing had stuck out to her. Maybe she’d have better luck at the weapons store.

“Can I help you miss?” an elderly man asked as she entered the store.

“Yeah actually...I’m not very familiar with - well with any weapons really...” Gabrielle trailed off, expecting him to find it odd that she’d come into the store in the first place, but he simply smiled.

“Let’s have a look.” The elderly man steered Gabrielle towards a wall of wooden sticks. “These are some of our tamer weapons. They’re good for striking blows, but staff fighting rarely results in fatalities so they’re a good choice for first timers.”

Gabrielle had never seen a piece of weaponry so beautiful, granted she hadn’t seen much weaponry in her lifetime, but these practically lit up on the shelves. 

_You’re not here to shop for yourself,_ Gabrielle reminded herself. She certainly didn’t have the money to be buying more than one weapon.

“Actually I’m looking for a friend,” Gabrielle said. “You see...I made a pretty big mistake - I thought maybe if I bought her something...”

“Ah the classic apology gift,” he said with a nod. “I’m all too familiar with those. Got a wife and 3 daughters at home.”

“What do you usually get them?” Gabrielle asked.

“Jewelry mostly.” 

Something told Gabrielle Xena wasn’t the jewelry type of girl...

“She’s more of the strong warrior type,” Gabrielle explained. “Think dark and brooding.”

“I know just the thing.”

She found herself being steered once again to a completely different section of the store, a wall filled with several round disks.

“Frisbees,” Gabrielle said. Not sure if it was a joke she smiled politely. She didn’t want to insult the man just in case. “Yeah...she might like that.”

The old man laughed. “It’s not a frisbee it’s a Chakram,” he said enthusiastically. “You don’t find them around very often, but that’s what makes ‘em all the more special. You figure out how to use one of these babies and you’re a force to be reckoned with.”

Xena was already a force to be reckoned with but somehow Gabrielle could imagine Xena really using these. It was worth a shot.

“How much?” Gabrielle asked.

“That’ll be 18 sickles,” he said.

Gabrielle frowned. “I only have 11.” She was used to bartering the price down back home, it was part of the reason her mother always sent her in charge of those types of errands and not Lila; but doubted that would work this time.

To her surprise the man grabbed a Chakram off the shelf and handed it to her. “You just be careful with those edges alright. They’re sharp.”

“But I don’t have the money to pay for this.”

“Friendship’s the most important thing in the world. What’s a few sickles in the way of that?” He rounded the corner to the cash register and grabbed the chakram from her hand, placing it in a black box perfectly sized for the object. As Gabrielle handed him a bag of silver sickles he said, “now remember what I said about this. Be careful with those edges.”

Gabrielle smiled appreciatively, still shocked he’d allowed her to purchase the Chakram for such a low price. “I will. Thank you.” 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gabrielle rushed back to the school excitedly but her mood quickly shifted after asking several students where Xena was. Most had no idea, but the ones that did gave Gabrielle a warning about Xena’s not so happy mood. _All because of me,_ Gabrielle thought guiltily.

“You’re not a Slytherin,” the portrait said as she arrived outside the Slytherin common room.

“I know. Please let me in,” Gabrielle said. “My friend’s inside and I need to talk with her.”

“I don’t think she’s up for visitors,” the portrait responded.

_Oh Gods, I’ve really done a number on her._

“I need to see her,” Gabrielle said forcefully. “If you don’t I’ll stand out here all day. I’ve got plenty to talk about.”

The portrait rolled his eyes but it was enough and soon the door swung open. Gabrielle rushed inside with Xena’s gift held tight in her arms, but any thoughts of the gift were forgotten the instant she saw Xena. 

“Xena..?” she asked, her voice filled with concern. “Are you...is everything okay?”

Xena didn’t answer. Gabrielle noticed a small picture frame in her hands, although she couldn’t see what the picture was from where she was standing. Upon closer inspection Gabrielle realized Xena’s eyes were red and puffy, a sign that she had been crying. Even more than that she seemed lost. The cool, calm, and always-in-control Xena was gone, and in her place was someone Gabrielle didn’t recognize.

After a long silence, Xena finally spoke. “You lied to me Gabrielle. You told me you never spoke with Alti.”

Gabrielle’s eyes widened, her voice suddenly getting small, “I wanted to change her mind Xena - I thought maybe if I talked some sense into her…”

Xena’s grip on the picture frame grew stronger but she said nothing. How was Gabrielle supposed to fix this now? 

“Xena I am so very sorry. What I did was stupid - so stupid. If I’d have just kept my mouth shut…”

“If you had kept your mouth shut Marcus would still be alive,” Xena finished angrily. 

“Wait - what are you talking about Xena? Marcus can’t be, he can’t be...” she couldn’t finish the sentence. The entire room felt like it was suddenly spinning and her voice had gotten so small now, she barely recognized it. “How?”

“Alti killed him,” she said. “She thought we were getting too close to finding the ruby. It was a warning.”

Gabrielle’s eyes widened in shock, her heart skipping several beats. She shook her head wildly, “No. This is some kind of a joke, or a nightmare or something. This isn’t real.”

What had she done? Marcus had died because of her stubbornness. She’d thought she was helping and now she’d gotten someone who had become like a brother to her killed.

“I should’ve listened to you. Xena I’m sorry,” Gabrielle sobbed.

“After today, I never want to see you again,” Xena said.

“...Xena I-” Gabrielle started.

“Didn’t you hear me? I want you gone,” in a fit of anger Xena threw the picture frame across the room where it smashed against a brick wall with a loud crash, sending several bits of glass all along the floor.

Gabrielle felt her entire body shaking in response to the unexpected burst of rage, having no idea whether Xena had intended for the frame to hit her instead. For the first time since she had met Xena, Gabrielle was afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide
> 
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Sickles: wizarding currency in the form of a silver coin, equivalent to about .59 cents in United States currency (https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Sickle)


	30. The World of Dreams and a Daring Rescue

All night Xena had tried to sleep but the image of Gabrielle’s fear as she ran from the room remained etched in her memory. Though she had instantly regretted the incident, Xena tried over and over again to convince herself that none of it mattered. Marcus was dead, and that was the last time she was going to let herself care about anyone ever again. Gabrielle would find out she was a monster sooner or later, might as well be sooner.

When Xena finally did fall asleep, Marcus’s death haunted her every dream. She remembered the look in his eyes as he spoke the last words she would ever hear him say. _Marcus I’m so sorry. You should have never wasted your life on me. I really did love you._ She’d never before doubted that the dead could hear the thoughts of the living, but now that she wanted Marcus to hear her thoughts more than anything in the world she started to wonder if it were really true. 

When Xena awoke the next morning she felt herself suddenly in a panic as reality hit her once again. Marcus was dead and she’d been so awful to Gabrielle. The poor girl would probably never look at Xena the same again. Suddenly the feeling was overwhelming. She had to find Gabrielle.

Racing down the stairs and onto the main floor of the Slytherin common room, Xena asked every Slytherin in sight. A few said they’d witnessed Gabrielle running off in tears, but had no idea where she’d went. She searched the rest of the castle, but as soon as classes started she had to wait for them to end before asking anyone else. Xena finally waited outside of Charms class and when it finally ended, she waited for the person she figured was most likely to know Gabrielle’s whereabouts.

“Hey Xena, I’m really sorry to hear what happened to Marcus,” Adonis said at once.

Xena forced the feelings away, not wanting to cry in front of everyone “Have you seen Gabrielle?”

“Not since this morning,” he said. “I’m worried about her. Losing two people she’s cared about in one year - I think she’s taking it really hard. I tried talking to her -”

“Where is she now?” Xena asked impatiently.

“I don’t know - it was really hard to understand her through all the crying. I think she said something about a dude named Morpheus, and mentioned something about an Alti. I have no idea what that is, but she seemed pretty determined to find it.”

_Morpheus? The dream God?_ Why would Gabrielle want to talk to him...unless-

“Xena wait!” Adonis shouted after her. “What’s going on? Is Gabrielle okay?”

\------------------------------------------

“Hello Morpheus,” Xena said. He was in the boy’s dormitory of the Slytherin common room, exactly where she’d expected him to be.

“I’m busy Xena, you’ll have to come back later,” he said, counting a handful of knuts in his hands with glee. 

“I know all about your worthless business endeavors,” she said impatiently. “I’m here for my friend. Has a blonde first year come to visit you?”

“Short, annoying, never stops talking?” he asked with a grin. “Yeah you just missed her. I wish she’d given me a bit more money though. I don’t normally deliver services for such a low pr-” before he could react Xena slammed him against the wall and he squealed as her hand closed around his throat “-iiiiiigh ow! What’s...wrong...with you?” he choked out. 

“How long?” she asked angrily.

“How long what?!” he sputtered as she loosened her grip on his neck just enough for him to answer.

Xena narrowed her eyes. Morpheus knew exactly what she’d been talking about. “How long has she been in the dream world?”

“Couple hours,” he said. 

Her hands tightened again. “How could you let an innocent girl do something so reckless?”

“She offered me money. What was I supposed to do? Turn it down?”

Xena’s eyes narrowed until they were two dangerously small slits. “Yes.”

“Look I warned her, if she stayed in for too long she may never be able to return to her original body again. She didn’t care. Said she had some mistake she needed to fix.”

“You knew she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to make a decision like that. Not to mention she’s a 14 year old girl.” This conversation was a waste of time. She finally let him go. “You need to send me in after her.”

“That’s suicide,” he said with a snort. “It’s doubtful she’ll ever be able to leave at this point. You go in there and you’ll be stuck too.”

“I don’t care.”

“Hey if that’s what you want to do be my guest. I take my payments up fron -”

In an instant Xena had found the pressure points on his neck.

“How’s that for payment?”

“Perfect.”

“Good. Because if you try this again with Gabrielle or anyone else, it’ll be the last payment you ever get.”

Morpheus quickly gathered the supplies and lowered Xena down on a table next to Gabrielle. He applied a strange liquid to her forehead, which was meant to keep her tethered to Gabrielle’s dream world until she awoke; if she awoke that was. If she didn’t, the two of them would be stuck in the dream world forever without any hope of escape.

“Is it bad that I hope neither one of you comes back?” he asked with a toothy grin. Xena rolled her eyes and waited for the effects of the liquid to settle. When it finally did, she found herself in the same room, only Morpheus and all of the furniture that had been there was gone, nothing left in it’s wake. 

Within seconds Xena spotted someone with long blonde hair sitting down on the floor, their back facing her.

“Gabrielle? Is that you?” she asked.

“Xena?” Gabrielle didn’t turn around, but there was a hint of surprise in her voice. A surprise that quickly turned to anger. “I thought you said you wanted me out of your life. You never wanted to see me again.” The hurt in her voice tore at Xena’s heart.

“Gabrielle I didn’t mean it when I said that. I’m sorry for the way I treated you, I was horrible and you didn’t deserve that,” she said. “But we need to get out of here. We can discuss all of that later.”

“I’m not leaving until I find Alti,” Gabrielle said stubbornly. “Morpheus said if I relax my mind enough I may be able to find where she’s gone.”

“That’s a pretty big if,” she said.

“I know. Morpheus warned me of the risks. Frankly, Xena, I don’t care if I get stuck in here. Marcus is dead because of me and I need to find a way to fix this before anyone else dies.”

“No Gabrielle, listen to me. I was wrong about that. Marcus’s death wasn’t your fault,” Xena said. “I never should have said that. It was all my fault. Every bit of it. I should have told you about Alti’s plans. You never would have gone after the ruby if you’d known.”

For a moment Gabrielle didn’t answer.

“What do you care if I get stuck in here Xena? You told me yourself we weren’t friends. I almost believed Marcus when he told me you really did care about me, but now I know the truth.”

Xena was silent for a moment, until finally she spoke. “I do care.” 

Gabrielle’s head turned slightly, as though she were debating whether to turn around. “How do I even know you’re the real Xena?”

“I’ll tell you something you don’t know about me,” she said. “There’s no way your subconscious would be able to fabricate something from thin air.” 

“Okay. I’m listening,” Gabrielle said, her stubborness faltering a bit.

“3 years ago I killed an entire army that attacked my village. I spent years training under Headmaster Ma and waited until I was ready to take them all out in one night.”

“Marcus told me all of that already,” Gabrielle said.

“I’m not finished,” she said. “The man I saved for last was named Cortese. He was the leader of the group and he’s the one who gave the order to kill everyone in sight when he came to my village, no matter who the person was. He’s the one who killed Lyceus. I waited in the woods and used the cruciatious curse on him. I wanted him to feel the pain I’d felt when Lyceus died. The ministry caught up to me later that night and I was sentenced to a month in Azkaban.”

Xena waited patiently as Gabrielle processed the information. She finally turned around to face her. “You really _are_ Xena.” She was clearly surprised by the information Xena had just told her.

“What happened to Marcus wasn’t your fault Gabrielle. I need you to know that.”

“But it was, Xena if I had just -”

“No Gabrielle,” she said forcefully. “I won’t let you blame yourself. Now come on, we need to find a way out of-” suddenly the room dissolved and reappeared as it had before. Xena sat up from the table and saw Gabrielle was still laying beside her. “Gabrielle?”

For a brief moment Xena was afraid she hadn’t returned, but her eyes slowly opened. “My head…” she said groggily, probably dizzy from being under the effects of the magic for so long.

“We’ll get you to the hospital wing,” Xena said, helping Gabrielle to her feet.

“No that’s okay. I”ll be alright. Thanks Xena. For bringing me to my senses and saving my life - I mean if you hadn’t come in to save me...” she shook her head. “Xena you risked so much just to save me.”

“That’s what friends do,” Xena said. Gabrielle’s eyes widened in complete shock, then she suddenly burst into tears.

“I can’t believe Marcus is dead,” Gabrielle cried.

“I can’t either."

The two stood in silence for a moment, both too sad to speak until Gabrielle finally said, “Do you think Alti will come after us?” Xena could tell by the look on Gabrielle’s face she was scared and trying hard not to show it.

“I don’t know,” Xena admitted pulling Gabrielle into her arms, fighting the instant wave of uncomfortableness. She remembered how much a hug had helped when Talus died, she hoped it might help now, and judging by Gabrielle’s reaction of hugging Xena tighter, it did. “I won’t let Alti hurt you, Gabrielle. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide  
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Morpheus: the God of dreams in Greek mythology
> 
> Knuts: wizarding currency in the form of a bronze coin, worth .02 dollars in United States currency (https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Knut)
> 
> Cruciatus Curse: one of the 3 unforgivable curses that equates to pain so severe it drives some wizards mad or worse, considered a severe form of torture (any of the unforgivable curses used risk time in Azkaban, usually a life sentence)
> 
> References  
> Sears, S. L., (Writer), & Green, B. S. (Director). (1995). Dreamworker. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.


	31. Gobblestones and Scarecrows

**~Part 2~**

The next month was difficult for Xena and Gabrielle. Gabrielle knew Xena was struggling deeply with Marcus’s death, even though she tried hard not to show it. 

Over time the friendship between Xena and Gabrielle grew and there was no longer any doubt in Gabrielle’s mind that they were friends. Which was the only reason Gabrielle believed Xena had finally agreed to play Gobstones with her, though Gabrielle had a sneaking suspicion she enjoyed it more than she let on.

“No fair Xena!” 

Gabrielle watched as yet another one of the stones was shot from the circle from Xena’s expert aim. She only needed to knock one out of the circle to win the game, while Gabrielle still needed four.

“What’s not fair?” Xena asked absently.

“You win at every game we play! Why do you have to be so good at everything?”

“So let me get this straight Gabrielle. You would rather I play badly on purpose, just so you can win?”

“Yes that’s exactly what I’m saying.” _Good. Now she finally gets it._

“You and I both know that would make for a very boring game,” Xena said simply. Gabrielle opened her mouth to protest but it was her turn and she needed to concentrate if she wanted any chance of winning. This was her last shot to beat the warrior.

“Is that Argo? Who let her out of the cage?” Gabrielle asked suddenly. Xena whirled around in search of her loving owl; giving Gabrielle just enough time to swap the rest of the stones off the circle. 

“Woah! Xena you’ll never believe this, I knocked all the stones away in one -” 

A rancid cloud of green smoke suddenly erupted from the stones and surrounded Gabrielle with another bout of the worst smell she had ever had to endure. She frowned at Xena who was smirking at her. “It isn’t funny…”

“You’re the one who decided to cheat,” Xena said simply.

“How else am I supposed to win?”

“Come on Gabrielle it’s just a game. With a little practice you’ll get better.” When Gabrielle failed to smile, Xena stood up. “Speaking of practice we’d better get our training in for the day.”

“But Xena...can’t we play one more game? I feel like I’m really starting to get the hang of it. You know, I’ve just got to work on my aiming and I should get there.”

“Maybe tomorrow. Right now we need to practice.”

“Oh alright.” Gabrielle’s shoulders slumped in defeat as she followed Xena down The Wooden Bridge. They made their way towards the grassy area surrounding the Black Lake where they had begun to train more often. It wasn’t as stuffy as the Room of Requirement and they had more room to move around without the risk of hitting Argo. Now that they no longer had to worry about Alti catching them together it was the better option.

Trainings had become harder and more frequent now that Alti was missing. Xena didn’t want to take a chance with either of them being unprepared for an attack she might make.

As they made their way to the grounds, Gabrielle carried on most of the conversation, as usual. She was shocked when Xena suddenly decided to initiate the topic they were talking about.

“I think you should visit with your family for Christmas break,” she said seriously.

“No. Xena I already told you I want to stay here with you,” Gabrielle said. “My parents won’t mind. Hades, they probably won’t even notice I’m gone.”

Gabrielle didn’t actually believe her parents would forget her, but she knew Xena needed her more, especially during Christmas break when most of the students would be away.

“Alti doesn’t know where you live,” Xena continued before Gabrielle could put too much thought into it. “You could easily take an invisibility cloak. She wouldn’t be able to trace that.”

“And make you spend Christmas here all by yourself? No Xena. I’m staying.”

“Gabrielle I’ve managed Christmas without anyone for years. I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t care if you’ll be fine! You aren’t spending Christmas alone and that’s final,” she said, as though that were the end of the discussion. “Besides it will give me a chance to finally beat you at Gobstones. How could I possibly pass up an opportunity like that?”

Xena raised her eyebrow at this, but said nothing.

“What are we learning today?” Gabrielle asked excitedly.

“Flipendo,” Xena said. “We need to start using more offensive spells.”

Gabrielle nodded and pointed her wand towards the scarecrow she had made with Xena and Hagrid several weeks ago. At this point the scarecrow was barely recognizable and the target they’d pinned to it’s chest was shredded to bits of torn paper.

“Gonna need some new stuffing,” Xena assessed once she’d repositioned the scarecrow. “For now this will do. Are you ready Gabrielle?” 

“Ready.”

“Repeat after me. Flipendo,” she said softly. A small pitiful light shot from her wand and the scarecrow teetered slightly but managed to stay upright. It was clear Xena had been holding back.

Now it was Gabrielle’s turn.

“FLIPENDO!” A blue light landed just to the left of the scarecrows chest and the blast of energy was enough to knock their little creation to the ground, several feet away from where it originally stood. When Xena propped it back up the head fell like a heap to the ground.

“Good job Gabrielle. Your aim is really improving.” Gabrielle swore she detected a hint of proudness in Xena’s voice. “This time try not to twist your wrist so much. That should place your cast closer to the target.”

“You know Xena, you really are picky,” Gabrielle teased. She practiced the motion a few times while waiting for Xena’s signal. When she gave the go ahead, Gabrielle cast the spell again, this time landing the spell onto the target, although it wasn’t quite the bullseye she’d hoped for Xena assured her it would take awhile before she could hit a perfect bullseye, let alone several bullseyes in a row.

“Now I want you to try casting on me,” Xena said. 

Gabrielle froze, suddenly feeling very uneasy. The last time Xena had asked her to cast a spell on her it had been a harmless wand throwing spell. This looked like it could do a lot of damage to a person.

“No Xena. I don’t want to hurt you,” Gabrielle said.

“It’s alright Gabrielle I can handle it.” When Gabrielle didn’t look convinced, she continued, “I’ll be using Protego to block the spell. The likelihood of you getting past my protection barrier is very low. But I’ll be leaving an open spot each time so you can practice finding them. Most of your more skilled opponents won’t leave an opening, but it’s good to practice looking for weaknesses. Every opponent will have one.”

“Even you?” Gabrielle asked playfully.

“Even me.”

“Really?” she asked, suddenly curious. “What is it?”

“Gabrielle we need to stay on task,” Xena said. “Get ready to cast.”

“Oh come on Xena. You can’t just say something like that and expect me to...” she trailed off impatiently. She couldn’t think of a single thing that would put Xena below other fighters. As far as Gabrielle was concerned, she was just about as flawless as a warrior could get. “I mean how am I supposed to focus now with that kind of question hanging over my head?”

Xena gave Gabrielle a warning look and she knew better than to push the matter any further. “On my word.”

Gabrielle cast the spell and Xena easily deflected it with the shielding spell. The rest of the practice continued the same way, with Xena easily deflecting every Flipendo that came her way. As usual, Gabrielle was so tired by the end of the practice she hurried back to the common room and fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide
> 
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Gobstones: similar to the game marbles, a certain number of marbles are placed in a circle and each opponent has to knock seven out of the circle to win (https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/gobstones)
> 
> The Wooden Bridge: bridge connecting the castle courtyard to part of the Hogwarts grounds (https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wooden_Bridge)
> 
> Black Lake: lake located on the castle grounds (https://harry-potter-compendium.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Lake)
> 
> Flipendo: spell also known as the knockback jinx, feels like a punch and is strong enough to throw people back (https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Knockback_Jinx)
> 
> Protego: spell used as a shield for other spells


	32. Posters and Amazons

Now that they didn’t have to sneak into the Room of Requirement Gabrielle was finally allowed to sleep alongside the other Hufflepuff girls. She much preferred the arrangement that way because it gave her a chance to socialize with more members of her house. It was a nice change of pace.

The next day when Gabrielle ran across Ephiny in the hallway, she felt a sudden pang of guilt as she saw the posters she was hanging on the walls. Gabrielle hadn’t attended a single Amazon meeting. After Talus died she’d stopped attending drama club, it had been too painful for Gabrielle to think about going there without Talus, and by the time the first amazon meeting rolled around she had no interest in joining a new club.

“Hi Ephiny,” Gabrielle said with a smile and within seconds she’d shot into an apology, “I’m sorry I never came to any of the meetings. You know I really planned to, I really wanted to-”

“It’s okay Gabrielle. From what I’ve heard you’ve had a pretty busy year so far,” Ephiny said. “We will be having a meeting in about 20 minutes though, you’re welcome to come.”

She looked to Xena who nodded her approval.

“That sounds great,” Gabrielle said. “Need help with those?”

“Sure.” She handed Gabrielle a stack and she happily went to work finding places for the posters to go. 

Ephiny glanced at the tall warrior who had been standing still and silent the entire time. “Would you like to help too?”

Without a word, Xena took the posters from Ephiny’s outstretched hands and got to work too. 

“Your friend is really intense,” Ephiny whispered to Gabrielle, who laughed.

“You get used to it.” 

Ephiny gave her a look that said if-you-say-so and they both went back to work.

After several minutes passed, they were finished and the halls were neatly decorated with Amazon posters.

“Thanks for the help,” Ephiny said. “We can head to the meeting now.”

“You should come too Xena,” Gabrielle said.

“Sorry Gabrielle, clubs aren’t really for me,” Xena said.“You go. Enjoy yourself. I’ll be right outside the door.”

“So you’d rather stand there by yourself, doing nothing?” Gabrielle asked.

Xena didn’t hesitant to respond, “Yes.”

“Come on, just try it out this once,” Gabrielle pleaded. “If you hate it, I’ll never ask again.”

Xena frowned. Her words came out as a grumble when she said the word, “fine.”

“What?” Had she heard her correctly?

“Don’t make me repeat myself Gabrielle or the answer will be no.”

Gabrielle kept her mouth shut as they walked inside the room, Xena taking the seat beside Gabrielle. _At least she’s trying,_ Gabrielle thought. Although sitting with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed was a far cry from what Gabrielle had been hoping for, it was better than nothing.

Professor Melosa took the stand and smiled down at everyone. “Fellow Amazons. Glad you’ve all joined me for another meeting.” She glanced at Xena and Gabrielle, a smile crossing her face. “It looks like we have two new members. Welcome. I haven’t seen you in ages Xena, ever since you stopped coming to my class”

Xena rolled her eyes. _Maybe it would have been better if Xena had just waited outside,_ Gabrielle thought wearily, afraid she would end up making a scene before the meeting was over.

“Ok, so today I want us to try something a little different. I want you all to share some stories about your experiences. Share only what you are willing for us all to hear. Who would like to start?”

Ephiny raised her hand. “Excellent.” Professor Melosa handed her the talking staff. “Why don’t you start by telling us why you’re here, if you feel comfortable.”

“My mother was an amazon here many years ago,” she explained.

“And she enjoyed the experience?”

“I never got a chance to ask,” Ephiny said. “But I think she did. She was the type of person who would’ve enjoyed that sort of thing.” 

“I remember your mother well,” Professor Melosa said. “We were in the same year, although she was a Gryffindor and I was a Ravenclaw. She would’ve been proud of you.”

“I don’t know about that,” Ephiny said. “She was always against killing, even in self-defense.”

Gabrielle remembered hearing rumors about Ephiny’s past. Apparently she’d had to fight off a group of wizards that had raided her town to protect her sisters, in which case she’d accidentally killed someone in self-defense.

““It almost feels like, as women, we’re at war every day,” Professor Melosa said. “Not just with men, but with ourselves and other women as well. That’s why I hold these meetings here. I don’t want any of you girls leaving here with the impression that we should be angry or hateful of men. That is not what an Amazon is. Amazons are women who can stand on their own, be independent, fight for a life of freedom where you can follow your dreams and live whatever life you choose to live, no matter what society expects of you.”

At this point every girl in the room was watching Professor Melosa, silent and intent on listening to the words she had to say, even Xena sat up a little straighter in her chair though her face had remained uninterested.

“This club is about finding your place in this world. Finding that inner power all women have. I’d like us to share one more story if we can. Share a time where you felt powerless in some way.”

This time Gabrielle raised her hand and Professor Melosa handed her the talking stick. “Okay Gabrielle, let’s hear it. Remember you are under no obligation to share anything.”

Gabrielle nodded. She stared at the staff in her hand and felt the memories flood through her, almost as if she had gained some kind of power just by holding the staff in her hands. “I felt that way a lot growing up. My father, who I love dearly and I know has the best intentions, always tried to convince me that I needed to learn to cook and care for my husband when I grew older instead of following my passions. I guess it was just his way of protecting me, the boys in town would always tease me about it.”

“And what are your passions?” Professor Melosa asked.

“I want to be a playwright. Go to Athens and study storytelling. I never feel more alive than I do when I’m telling a story.”

Professor Melosa smiled warmly and returned her attention to the group as a whole. “Your story Gabrielle is exactly what I want everyone here to understand. Just because society doesn’t agree that women should be poets or writers, or miners, or professors, or any other passion you may hold doesn’t mean we have to listen. If you want to be a playwright Gabrielle, then don’t let anyone tell you you can’t. Be who you were meant to be.”


	33. Christmas Eve and Spies Hidden in Plain Sight

Winter at Hogwarts was always a beautiful sight, but Xena didn’t have the time to revel in it’s beauty, she still had plenty of work to do. Xena continued to train Gabrielle harder and harder as the days passed, growing more nervous that Alti might attack by the minute. She couldn’t figure out why Alti hadn’t attacked them already. If she was working alone she’d have killed Xena and Marcus both, she’d never have let one of them go free. Then she would’ve gone after Gabrielle to tie up the last loose end. But she hadn’t. Which meant Alti wasn’t working alone, she had a failsafe, or several failsafes. 

Her suspicions were proven further when she noticed the same Ravenclaw girl who had been following them around for days. Xena had wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but at this point there she knew Alti had sent her to spy on them.

Xena waited for Gabrielle to notice the signal she was giving her. When she did they pulled out their wands at once and Xena grabbed the girl by the neck, finding the pressure points almost instantly.

“Wha-what are you doing?” The girl asked innocently.

Gabrielle’s eyes widened, “Xena what’s happening?”

“I’ve blocked the flow of blood to her brain. She has a little less than 30 seconds to tell us why she’s been following us.”

“Or what?” Gabrielle asked.

“She dies.”

“There has to be another way to get information from her!”

“There isn’t,” she said flatly. Alti’s spy needed to believe Xena would follow through with her threat, even though she had no intention of doing so. Xena turned to the girl and ignored Gabrielle’s rabid protests. “So let’s hear it. What has Alti promised you?”

“Alti?” she asked, her eyes betraying her lies.

“Xena stop this.” Getting information from this girl was going to be hard enough without Gabrielle breathing down her neck.

“Gabrielle stay out of this!” She turned back to the girl. “Sorry but you don’t have time to play dumb. Why are you working for Alti?”

“I - she - she promised to give me what I wanted most in this world,” she said. “She said if I - if I joined her army she’d bring my father back to life.”

“Xena!” Gabrielle demanded as blood trickled from the girl’s nose.

Xena was surprised by how easily the girl had given the information up. There were still 10 seconds left, but it was obvious the girl was either telling the truth or a really good liar, and the signs strongly pointed to the former.

In an instant, she released the young Ravenclaw and offered a hand to help her up, but the girl backed away instead, shaking like a leaf with fear. “I’m sorry I-” Xena started, seeing the look of terror in the girls eyes had shaken her out of the trance.

“You’re crazy!” The girl was off as soon as she found her footing to stand.

Xena turned to see Gabrielle staring at her in awe of what she had just witnessed. “Xena...what was that?”

“I was doing what I had to,” Xena said, trying to convince herself as much as Gabrielle.

“That poor girl was scared to death!” Gabrielle said. “Besides the fact that she couldn’t hurt a fly even if she wanted to. She was harmless Xena.”

“How was I supposed to know that?” Xena asked exasperated. “She could have just as easily been there to kill us. Sometimes you have to take those kinds of chances to survive.”

“No you don’t,” Gabrielle said. “Xena, I can’t work with someone who acts that cruelly towards others. If that’s what it means to survive then I want no part of it.”

"I don't want us taking any chances with Alti somewhere out there. It's not always going to be pretty," Xena said. "You were right I should've tried talking with her first before using the pinch. Next time I'll be more careful. But I can't take any unnecessary risks either."

Gabrielle didn't look as though the conversation was completely settled but she nodded.

Xena gave a small smile. “Come on, there’s something I want to show you.”

Gabrielle’s eyes grew.

“But..what about the training? I thought-”

“It’s Christmas Eve, Gabrielle,” Xena said. “And we could use a little break.”

Gabrielle smiled, “really?” She couldn’t believe she was hearing the word break from Xena, let alone that she would be allowing one.

“A _little_ break,” Xena repeated, though there was still a bit of a smile there.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gabrielle chatted away excitedly during the walk to the courtyard, guessing what the surprise Xena wanted to show her might be the entire way there.

“As long as it doesn’t involve broomsticks,” Gabrielle said, shifting from excitement to nervousness in a matter of seconds. “I refuse to do anything where my feet aren’t touching the ground.”

“Relax Gabrielle, we won’t be using broomsticks.” Xena handed her Argo’s cage and slowly helped the bird out. “Hold out your hand like this.”

Gabrielle did so, realizing exactly what Xena was doing. “I don’t know about this Xena. Argo hates me. Last time I tried feeding her she bit me.”

“She probably wasn’t hungry,” Xena shrugged.

“And that’s an excuse for causing my finger to bleed?” Gabrielle asked in disbelief. 

“It just takes her a while to warm up to new people,” Xena explained. “If you don’t want to get to know her better Gabrielle, I understand. I just thought it’d be nice if the two most important girls in my life actually got along.”

That got her to smile. “Well her teeth weren’t that sharp, and I mean I could always learn to pull away faster...”

Xena smiled too. “Good. Don’t worry, if her beak even comes close to your fingers we’ll stop. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

“I’m ready,” Gabrielle said. “Let’s do this.”

Xena placed Argo on Gabrielle’s arm and she instantly started flapping her wings in protest.

“It’s okay girl,” Xena said soothingly to the bird, who responded instantly to Xena’s voice. “That’s it, just relax. Gabrielle’s not gonna bite ya.”

“Good one,” Gabrielle said flatly. “You’re a regular riot.”

“Are you doing alright?” she asked Gabrielle, who nodded. “Good. Now, lift your arm up slowly and wait for her to fly off.”

“She’s doing it! She’s really doing it!” Gabrielle said excitedly as the gentle bird lifted off her arm. They watched as Argo circled around the courtyard several times, gliding with a simple gracefulness. When she started on her way back to them Gabrielle readied her arm again. “Look Xena, I think she’s really going to come back to me! She’s headed right for u-”

Gabrielle frowned as Argo landed on her head instead, and Xena couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. Her hair was completely mussed up, which only got worse when Gabrielle tried to shoo Argo off. “This was your plan all along wasn’t it?” she asked as Xena’s laughing grew louder. “If she even thinks about pooping on me Xena, you’ll never hear the end of it. 

“Alright come on,” Xena said as her laughter finally subsided. She held her arm out for Argo. “We’ll try this again another time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References  
> Sears, S. L., (Writer), & Sassone, O. (Director). (1997). The price. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.


	34. Crying Girls and Future Plans

“I bet it’s because I cast Expelliarmus near her cage once,” Gabrielle suggested. “Yeah...or maybe it’s because I’ve never fed her an owl treat - I’m always feeding her that nasty owl food, she’s got to be tired of eating the stuff by now. Tell me Xena, do you ever change the food you buy her?”

“Gabrielle, Argo’s just picky,” Xena said, clearly tiring of Gabrielle’s constant guesses as to why Argo might not like her. “She connects better with certain people. You’ll just have to give her some time, that’s all.”

“No I don’t think so...I bet she’ll always hate me,” Gabrielle said.

“Can we talk about something else?” Xena asked irritated. “It’s a long way to the commons. There’s gotta be something else we can talk about.”

Gabrielle suddenly stood still, her face in shock. The Ravenclaw girl from earlier was sitting on one of the benches and sobbing into her hands as another girl tried to soothe her.

“Gabrielle I didn’t mean it that way. I like it when you talk. It’s just that-”

“No Xena look,” Gabrielle said. Xena followed her gaze.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Xena said moving forward, but Gabrielle held up a hand to stop her.

“I know you didn’t mean to scare her Xena, but it’s probably not a good idea for you to go near her right now,” Gabrielle said. “Besides if one of Alti’s spies notices us both around her they’ll get suspicious, and who knows what Alti has lined up for her traitors.”

Xena nodded.

“I’ll be right back! Try to keep out of sight if you can,” Gabrielle said and then she walked towards the girl.

“Is everything okay over here?” she asked.

The Gryffindor girl who was trying to calm the Ravenclaw walked away from the crying girl and shook her head, her voice at a whisper “I’m not sure. I think she saw something that frightened her, but she won’t tell what. I don’t know how to help.”

“I’ve got some experience with that sort of thing so I can take it from here if you'd like,” Gabrielle said. 

The Gryffindor girl looked at her skeptically. “Umm...sure. Knock yourself out.”

Gabrielle waited for the girl to disappear and joined the crying girl on the bench. When she looked up her eyes widened in fear, “you’re friends with that girl who...who-”

“It’s alright, Xena isn’t with me right now,” Gabrielle said, her calm voice relaxing the girl a little. “Let me see that book you’ve got.”

The girl handed her the book. “Ok now just pretend you’re tutoring me.” She caught on immediately and held the book out between her and Gabrielle, pointing to various parts on the page.

“Where?”

“There’s one by the Charms classroom, one by Transfiguration, and another just at the end of the hall,” the girl said. Gabrielle nodded, and casually glanced at the three girls she’d mentioned. The girl standing near the Charms classroom started towards them and Gabrielle realized this was not a good place for them to be talking.

“Okay I want you to meet me at the courtyard an hour before curfew tonight. I’ll wait there with my invisibility cloak so nobody can spot us together. There are some things I'd like to discuss.”

The girl nodded. “Just you?”

“Yes. I promise.” 

The spy was getting closer now, close enough to hear them both. Gabrielle felt herself starting to panic when the Ravenclaw girl suddenly shouted at her, “I’ve told you I haven’t got time to tutor you for the rest of the term! You’ll have to find somebody else!”

Gabrielle took that as her que to leave and she quickly got to her feet. “Fine!”

The spy seemed to buy it. She walked back towards her original post next to the Charms classroom and tried to look unsuspicious again.

Gabrielle made her way back to Xena.

“Is she alright?” Xena asked.

“Yeah I think she will be,” Gabrielle said. “I told her to meet me at the courtyard tonight to talk and that I’d bring the invisibility cloak along with me. Maybe we can get a little more information from her then.”

“Perfect,” Xena said. “We can bring Argo along too. I hated leaving her in that closet.”

“There won’t be any need for that Xena because I’ll be meeting her alone,” Gabrielle said.

“Like Hades you are," Gabrielle said forcefully. "Gabrielle, Alti could easily attack you there. Especially if I’m somewhere out of reach.”

“Xena she isn’t going to talk to us if you’re there,” Gabrielle said. “I need to go alone. It won’t be for long.”

“No Gabrielle,” Xena said firmly. “We’ll find another way to get information.”

Gabrielle’s eyes widened.

“I don’t mean like that. But there has to be some other way.”

“No this is the best way and you know it,” Gabrielle said. “You can wait in the castle outside the great hall. That way if anyone goes out to the courtyard you’ll know.”

“It’s still too risky. Someone could apparate there, or come in through the grounds-”

“Then I’ll call out for your help. You’ll be really close by,” Gabrielle said.

“I still don’t like it,” Xena said.

“I know, but it may be our only chance for now. The longer we wait to find out where the stone is, the less chance we have of finding it first. Or maybe we should just tell Ma...it would make things much simpler. Then she could hide the stone again, or better yet destroy it.”

“No,” Xena said forcefully.

“Why not Xena?” Then sudden realization hit. “Wait...don’t tell me you’re still considering using it.” 

Xena didn’t say anything but she didn’t have to, her face said it all.

“After everything we’ve found out about it’s power, Xena…you’ll become a murderer!”

“I have a plan for that,” Xena said.

“Oh yeah? What’s that? Kill everyone in your path until a hunting party finds you and puts you down? And what about your brother, huh? What happens when you bring him back to life only to kill him again? Or - or what happens when he is forced to watch his sister rip people apart?”

“It won’t get that far because as soon as I bring my brother back to life I’ll have someone there to kill me.”

Gabrielle shook her head angrily. “You’ve got to be joking. Xena, that’s a horrible plan.”

She didn’t want Xena to die, and she certainly wasn’t going to stand idly by while it happened.

“Gabrielle I have a chance to bring Lyceus back to life,” Gabrielle could see the pain in Xena’s eyes as she said the words, her voice was calm but desperate. “I will never forgive myself if I don’t do everything in my power to bring him back. If that means I have to die then so be it. Please, if you don’t want to help me find the stone, if you never speak to me again, I could never blame you for that. But don’t take away my last chance to bring him back.”

“Okay,” Gabrielle said. She needed to find some way to convince her not to use it before it was too late.


	35. Messy Rooms and Secret Meetings

It had taken Gabrielle at least a half hour more to convince Xena that meeting with the Ravenclaw spy alone was a good idea. She was actually pretty satisfied that she’d been able to, even if it had taken a little longer than she would have liked.

“Thanks for coming,” Gabrielle said as soon as the Ravenclaw girl entered the courtyard. “I’m Gabrielle by the way. I would have introduced myself earlier but I didn’t want you getting into trouble.”

“I figured. My names Jeanie, but I prefer Jean,” she said. It was clear by the hostility in her voice she still didn’t trust Gabrielle. She had forgotten how smart most of the Ravenclaw’s were, she was going to have to try a little harder to convince her. “So how do I know your friend isn’t in the cloak with you?”

Gabrielle thought about that for a second. “Why don’t we switch? You can wear the cloak instead, and then you’ll know Xena isn’t here with me.”

“How do I know that’s the only cloak you’ve got?”

The bard sighed, she didn’t really have an answer for that one. “I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

Jean shook her head, but her voice was gentler as she spoke, “look I’m sorry, but if I’m going to give away any information about Alti I need absolute trust. It’s way too risky for me to betray Alti. That is why you wanted to speak with me right? You want to know everything I know about it.”

Gabrielle’s mouth dropped open. “How did you-”

“It wasn’t that hard to guess. And if I had to take another guess, your friend wants the ruby so she can be stronger. I’ve heard some really bad things about her, and judging by the way she treated me on the grounds I have no doubt the rumors were true.” 

Gabrielle shook her head, “Xena’s trying to change. She felt really bad about what she did to you, but she thought you were a threat to us. It’s hard for her to escape the survival mentality, but I’m helping her stay on the path of good. I know she can be.”

Jean rolled her eyes. “Who are you trying to kid? Xena will never change. You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.”

“I know it’s hard to believe but Xena doesn’t want the ruby so she can be stronger,” Gabrielle said.

“Why then?”

“Alti hasn’t told you?”

Alti hadn’t filled her spies in on as much information about Xena and Gabrielle as she could? Why should she be keeping that a secret?

Jean shrugged. “Alti just told us that you were dangerous to our mission and that we needed to make sure you were as far away from the ruby as possible-”

“Wait Alti knows where it is?” Gabrielle’s heart sank.

“She knows the general vicinity yes, but that’s all I can tell you,” Jean said. She saw the fear in Gabrielle’s eyes and looked at her apologetically, “I’m sorry. I don’t trust Alti either, and if it wasn’t for the fact that she could bring my father back I would have never joined her side. That’s all I can say, you’ll have to find someone else.”

“Don’t go!” Gabrielle begged as Jean started to leave. If Alti really knew where the ruby was they were really running out of time. “What’ll it take for you to trust me?”

Jean thought about that for a moment. “Well, you could start by telling me why you two want the stone.” 

_Xena’s already told Alti why she wants it,_ Gabrielle thought. It wasn’t as though she would be giving up any information that Jean could use against them. Even still, Gabrielle felt strange about sharing the information with Jean, it wasn’t really her place to tell, but they were running out of options.

“Xena’s younger brother died many years ago. They were very close, and Xena blames herself for his death,” Gabrielle explained. “Add that to the fact that everyone she’s ever loved has abandoned her and it’s no surprise she acts the way she does.”

Jean looked surprised. “I had heard about that, but I guess I never thought about how that may have effected Xena. She always seemed so put off, like she didn’t care about anything or anyone. I always assumed she only cared about herself.”

Gabrielle couldn’t argue with her on that one, Xena certainly had a way of hiding her emotions as if they didn’t exist at all. But Gabrielle had learned in the past few months it was all an act. She’d always had that feeling in her gut, but when Xena saved her life from the dream world that feeling was no longer just a feeling, she knew it to be true. Gabrielle finally got to see the vulnerability that Xena kept so far from the surface, and now it didn’t matter what Xena did, Gabrielle would always know that part of her was there.

“Maybe you're right. Maybe she can change,” Jean continued. “But that still doesn’t excuse the things she’s done.”

“I know,” Gabrielle said. “But I really do believe Xena can change. I feel it in my heart.”

“Even so I can’t put my father’s life on the line in the hopes that Xena is a good person. For all we know she really does want the ruby’s power for evil reasons. How can you just blindly trust her when you’ve only known her for a few months?”

“I don’t know,” Gabrielle said, finding it too hard to put her feelings into words. “But I don’t intend to let Xena use the ruby.”

Gabrielle explained the real truth behind the Talaemon ruby and wasn’t at all surprised that Alti had kept that piece of information form Jean. It was enough to scare Jean and gain her trust.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

After what felt like forever Gabrielle was able to join up with Xena again.

“You okay?” Xena asked.

“Yep.”

“What did you find out?” When no one was looking over, Gabrielle threw the cloak off with a big grin on her face.

“Loads. You know it actually took a lot of work to get that information from her. She wasn't an easy sell. I think I’ve herded sheep less stubborn than her...”

Xena laughed. “I’ll bet.”

“We’re gonna have to move up our search though,” Gabrielle said seriously, her excitement dissipating. 

"Alti’s found it?”

“Not exactly. But she does know it’s somewhere in the Room of Requirements.”

“When you went in there on your own, did you see anything that looked like it could have been a ruby?” Xena asked.

“No,” Gabrielle said. “It was a mess in there, there was so much clutter - I could barely see anything. But there was something that was really strange...there was this cabinet. I stepped inside to hide from Alti, but it took me to a really strange place. It was like a cave of some sort. Xena, maybe that’s where it is. It would be the perfect place to hide something.”

Xena nodded in agreement. “And Alti was there too?”

“Yeah, yeah she must have been -”

“Searching for it,” Xena finished for her. “You said the room was cluttered. How cluttered?”

“Like my cousin Marnie’s room,” Gabrielle said. Xena gave her a blank look and she continued, “Well there were cupboards everywhere, bookshelves, random objects...it was a pigstye. But not bad enough where you couldn’t find something if you spent enough time in there. Alti’s probably been searching nonstop since she found out it was somewhere in there, which means…”

“She may have already found it,” Xena finished with worry. 

Gabrielle nodded. “There’s one more thing. I don’t know if it means anything, but Jean said Alti’s been very selective when it comes to building her army.”

“Selective?” Xena asked.

“Well she’s only been choosing women. Every member of her spy group is female.”

“Hmmm.” Xena remembered the time Alti had told her the brutality she’d faced at the hands of her father. She’d recognized the look of hatred in her eyes when she’d spoken of his cruel acts, it was the same hate she’d felt towards Cortese.

“What is it Xena?” Gabrielle asked. “Do you think - do you think maybe it means something?”

“Not sure,” Xena said. “It might. Alti doesn’t have a good track record with men.”

“Bad enough to want revenge?” Gabrielle asked. 

“And then some.”

Gabrielle gasped in sudden realization, “Xena you don’t think - what if she plans to rid the world of half the population, do you?”

“Even if she does we won’t let it get that far,” Xena said. 


	36. Staffs and Marshmallows

Gabrielle was surprised when Xena lead her to the courtyard later that day.

“Xena, shouldn’t going after Alti be our main priority right now?” Gabrielle asked confused. “It’s not as if we’ll really stand a chance against Alti when she gets ahold of that ruby.”

“This isn’t that kind of training,” Xena said. “Gabrielle, these past few months have meant the world to me. You’re the one person I would trust with my life. When I get my hands on the stone, I want you to be the one who ends it for me -”

“Xena -” Gabrielle started, not believing what she’d heard.

“No Gabrielle listen, I want you to bring Lyceus back home to my mother and Toris. Tell them both how sorry I am for the things I did. That if I could go back I would stop Lyceus from trying to fight by my side.”

Gabrielle felt her eyes start to tear up as she stared at the girl who she’d came to care about a surprising deal over the course of the school year. More than she’d ever imagined possible. “Xena...please don’t ask that of me.”

To Gabrielle’s surprise Xena placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know it’s a lot to ask Gabrielle. But there’s no one I’d rather have do this for me. I want you to use Diffindo. It’s fatal but it’s not an unforgivable curse so you won’t be sent to Azkaban if you use it.”

Gabrielle nodded.

“Good. Now when I say so, aim for the scarecrow.”

“I can’t,” Gabrielle said.

“Yes you can. It’s simple. Just like any other cast.” Xena steered the scarecrow closer and placed a hand on Gabrielle’s to help guide the motion. “I’ll help you.”

“No Xena...I won’t do it,’ Gabrielle said through tears, her body starting to tremble as much as she tried to stop it. “I can’t - Gods I can’t kill someone, least of all someone I care about.”

That seemed to startle Xena. She released Gabrielle’s hand looking surprised at what she’d almost done. Gabrielle didn’t know why she was still crying, she felt like a baby. But the thought of killing someone had been too much to handle.

“Okay. Gabrielle it’s alright. I’ll find someone else,” she pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry Gabrielle. I should have never asked that of you.”

\------------------------------------------------------

It was hours after Xena had asked Gabrielle to learn the killing curse, yet her reaction was still playing through her mind. How many times would she scare Gabrielle before she left her side for good?”

“How long until we reach Amphipolis?” Gabrielle asked. It was clear that she was also still bothered by earlier and Xena wished she could take it back. She’d remembered how drastically her life had changed after her first kill, the horrible feeling was undescribable, it couldn’t be matched to any other feeling. She’d almost forced Gabrielle to live with that same feeling for the rest of her life. How could she have been so selfish?

“We should be there by midday tomorrow,” Xena explained. “Ephiny, thank you for agreeing to do this.”

“Don’t mention it,” the curly haired Gryffindor said with a shrug. To both of their surprises she’d agreed to perform the fatal cast, and they were both secretly thankful. They couldn’t think of another person who had to kill before, that they trusted at least, and they really didn’t want to ask someone who had never killed before. At the same time, neither one of them wanted to ask the responsibility to be forced on Ephiny but they were running out of options.

“It’s getting really dark. Do you think we’ll make it before nightfall?” Gabrielle asked curiously.

“No,” Xena and Ephiny said in unison.

“Sun’s already too low,” Ephiny explained. “It’ll be dark within the hour.”

“We should start setting up camp,” Xena said. 

After a few moments had passed they’d already started a fire and placed sleeping bags all around the pit. The future weighed on all of their minds and soon all that could be heard amongst the tenseness was the crackling of the fire.

“I wish I’d brought some marshmallows,” Gabrielle said to break the silence.

“I’ll take first watch,” Xena said. “You two get some sleep.”

Ephiny nodded and made her way to the sleeping bags, but Gabrielle lingered for a moment.

“Are you sure? Maybe I can stay up with you awhile.”

Xena nodded. “I’ll be fine Gabrielle. Get some sleep.”

It didn’t take long for Gabrielle to fall asleep, and Xena found herself feeling an emotion she hadn’t felt in a long time, fear. Fear for what the next days might bring. Fear of what might happen when she finally came into contact with Alti, fear of how the stone might affect her. Would she lose her humanity right away or would she feel it as it slipped away?

“I wish you were here Marcus,” Xena said quietly, her eyes fixed on the fire that blazed before her. Tears started brimming in her eyes and as soon as they started to fall she wiped them away fiercely. “Before this year started I made a promise not to let anyone into my heart. Then you and Gabrielle had to come along and ruin everything.”

She could practically imagine Marcus sitting beside her, giving her a polite but very clear I-told-you-so look. 

“I’ve spent half my life believing I would never be happy again. Now I know that’s not true. You and Gabrielle have taught me there’s a future that could bring me joy, one where I might wake up looking forward to what the next day would bring instead of dreading it.”

 _I know what you would say. Stay as far away from the ruby as possible. Choose a life of happiness._ Xena smiled slightly through her tears, then looked down sadly. _But I can’t._

“Xena?” a soft voice broke through the night and Xena tore her eyes from the fire to find a small blonde staring up at her, rubbing her tired green eyes and letting out a small yawn.

“Gabrielle what are you doing up?” she asked.

“Couldn’t sleep,” she said letting out another yawn. “Mind if I join you?”

Xena motioned to the spot next to her and waited for Gabrielle to sit down. 

“Is everything ok?” Gabrielle asked noticing the tears in her eyes.

Xena nodded. “Just thinking about Marcus.”

“I miss him too,” Gabrielle said. “I wish I’d gotten to know him more.”

“Me too,” Xena said, which took Gabrielle by surprise.

“But I thought you’d both been friends for years,” Gabrielle said.

“We were. He was there for me my first year of Hogwarts, before I killed Cortese and his men,” she explained. “We became very close that year.”

“You were in love with him,” Gabrielle said with sudden realization.

Xena nodded. “But I was so consumed by hatred and a drive to avenge Lyceus, I never let him in. Then after Azkaban I was so broken, nobody could have gotten past the darkness inside me. It wasn’t until this year that I finally started letting people in again. Alti took him away from me before I got the chance to really tell him.”

“He knew,” Gabrielle said confidently.

“I don’t think so,” Xena said sadly.

“Yes. He knew,” Gabrielle said with a surprising amount of force behind her voice. “Xena anyone with eyes could see how much you cared for Marcus, as much as you tried to hide it. Even if he didn’t, we both know the dead can hear our thoughts. If he didn’t know before, he knows it now.”

Xena allowed herself a small smile as Gabrielle laid her head against her shoulder.

“You’re the one person I’ll miss,” she said.

“Really?”

“What you said before about having a companion. That was true.”

Gabrielle smiled and wiped away tears from her own face.

“Thanks for believing in me. I still can’t figure out why you didn’t leave my side long ago. But I’m glad you stayed.” She reached into her pack and pulled out a long present, which she had hastily wrapped before they left earlier that day. “I was gonna wait until you woke up, but I guess now’s as good a time as any.”

“Xena you didn’t have to...that is so sweet of you,” she said in shock. “I should’ve bought you something.” Gabrielle excitedly tore at the string holding the cloth together and a huge grin spread across her face as she saw what it was.

“I saw one of these at the weapons store, the one where I bought your Chakram," Gabrielle said excitedly. "I really wanted to buy one but I didn’t have the money. Xena this is wonderful! Thank you!”

Gabrielle stood and started swinging the staff all over the place, a look of determination spread across her face. Xena couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “I bet I could really learn to fight with one of these.”

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” she said raising an eyebrow.

“Really?” Gabrielle asked confused.

“When we were at that Amazon meeting you seemed to pull strength from holding it and talking about your passion. I wanted you to have one to keep as a reminder whenever you feel there’s something you can’t face that you’re strong enough to do anything you put your mind to.”

“Oh Xena...” Gabrielle sobbed, pulling the tall warrior into a full hug.

“You’ll make a great playwright one day. I wish I'd had a chance to see it.”

That was too much for Gabrielle who was sobbing harder then she'd ever heard her sob before. It was several minutes before she could finally speak again.

"Xena I don't think you should go through with this," Gabrielle said. "I really believe there's a better way. I know you want Lyceus back but that isn't the way to do it. That isn't the way he would want you to do it."

"Gabrielle we talked about this already," Xena said.

"I know, but I think it's wrong," Gabrielle said. "None of this plan feels right. I mean, who knows that you won't just kill me and Ephiny and escape to kill others too. We don't even know if Diffindo is strong enough."

"I'm sorry Gabrielle but this is the way it has to be," Xena said. "I've talked with Ephiny and she knows more spells that are lethal. We're going to take every precaution we can possibly take."

"Not every precaution," Gabrielle said. "The biggest precaution would be not using the ruby at all. The biggest precaution would be destroying it for good."

"Gabrielle maybe you should come along with me on this," Xena said, which didn't seem to make Gabrielle very happy. "This is going to be too hard for you. And I don't know if it's a good idea putting you in that much danger."

"No. I'm not leaving you to do this on your own," Gabrielle said.

"Then we don't have a choice on this," Xena said.


	37. Old Crypts and Final Goodbyes

Xena and Gabrielle sat up for a while, enjoying one another’s company. Gabrielle had several stories to tell and Xena had appeared happy to listen. Gabrielle still couldn’t believe how sweet Xena had been. It made the thought of losing Xena so much harder to bear. But she was determined to convince Xena not to go through with it, even if she had to risk her life to do it.

After a few hours Ephiny awoke and it was her turn to take watch.

“Is that a staff?” Ephiny asked.

“Xena bought it for me,” Gabrielle said proudly.

“Nice,” she said, admiring the staff as Gabrielle handed it to her. “That’s made of white oak. It couldn’t have been cheap.”

“I won’t be needing my money soon enough,” Xena said with a shrug. “I’m gonna head to bed.” She turned to Gabrielle. “You too. We don’t want you tired in the morning.”

“We both know how much I love to sleep, but it’s not as though I’ll be able to actually get any rest,” Gabrielle complained.

Xena gave her a look and Gabrielle sighed. “Oh alright. I’ll join you soon.”

“Hold her to that Ephiny,” Xena said sternly. Ephiny nodded.

“You know a lot about staffs?” Gabrielle asked once Xena had rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.

“My mother used to use one,” Ephiny explained. “It was always her first choice in a battle. She thought it better to disarm first and only kill as a last resort.”

“She sounds like a wonderful woman,” Gabrielle said.

“She was. Greatest woman I’ve ever known,” Ephiny said.

“What was she like?” Gabrielle asked.

“Well she was always herself, no matter what others tried to turn her into. She was a lot like Melosa in that way actually. And she always found a way to see the positives in everything. Even when it didn’t seem like there were any.”

Gabrielle smiled. “She would’ve been proud of you. Risking your life to save your sisters, and stopping Xena when she uses the ruby - if she uses the ruby,” she corrected herself. She wasn’t going to give up on Xena until the very end.

“You plan to stop her?” Ephiny asked surprised.

“Yes. By all the gods I hope I can.” It wasn’t fair that Gabrielle had to lose another friend. And it wasn’t fair that Xena had to die after everything she’d been through. More importantly, it wasn't fair to the innocent lives that could be at risk if things went awry. When Gabrielle saw the look on Ephiny’s face she added, “she’s not the evil person everyone thinks she is. She’s a good person. Truly.”

“If she’s friends with someone like you she must be,” Ephiny said with a smile. “You better get to bed. We don’t want Xena angry with us.”

“Good point,” Gabrielle agreed. “Thanks again for doing this for us. It means a lot. To both of us.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Is that Amphipolis?” Gabrielle asked as they reached the edge of the woods, a small town was just in sight.

“Yes,” Xena said quietly.

“It’s really beautiful. You know it reminds me a lot of another town I visited with my father and sister.” Gabrielle's parents had always been alternating who got to take her and Lila on trips and who was to stay on the farm. “Oh what was the name? I know I remember it, it's on the tip of my tongue. I think it was something like -”

“Gabrielle shhhhh,” Xena said.

“Sorry,” she whispered back.

“It’s alright,” Xena said. “I just don’t want anyone recognizing me. I’d rather my mother and Toris didn’t know I was here.”

The trio slowly made their way out of the woods once Xena had thrown on the invisibility cloak. In order to sneak past the guards Xena whispered careful instructions and they found themselves moving from wall to wall. Finally, they reached a large crypt and stepped inside. 

Xena threw off her cloak. “If it’s ok, I’d like to have a moment alone with Lyceus.”

“Of course we don’t mind Xena,” Gabrielle said. “Take all the time you need.”

“We’ll keep a lookout,” Ephiny said.

Xena nodded appreciatively and handed Ephiny the invisibility cloak. “Both of you should wear this. If you run into any trouble don’t hesitate to call for me.”

“But what about your family? If we shout out your name they might discover you’re here,” Gabrielle said.

“My pride isn’t worth either of your lives,” Xena said firmly.

Once they left Xena made her way to the urn fastened to one of the walls. The carving above the urn was all too familiar. She remembered the funeral director who had chiseled the words in as Cyrene had held Xena and Toris as they sobbed. There hadn’t been a dry eye in the room, as everyone there mourned for the small innocent life that had been lost in battle.

_Here Lies Lyceus._

_Loving Brother, Son, and the Sweetest Boy Who Ever Lived._

“Hey Ly,” Xena said as tears began to fall. She was so much stronger now than she had been the last time she’d visited the crypt, so much better at keeping her emotions in check. But the memories were too much for her to maintain any semblance of composure. “This is Xena. I don’t know if you recognize my voice. It’s been so long since we last spoke. But if you’ve heard my thoughts then you know there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where I haven’t missed you.

“But I found a way to bring you back. You’ll finally get a chance to live the life you never deserved to lose. I don’t want you to waste a minute of it either, you hear me? Don’t feel any guilt towards what happens to me after I’ve brought you back. I already got a chance to live my life and I will gladly switch places with you. I want you to take care of mother and Toris and I want you to be that same happy kid you were before. The one who made everyone laugh and smile.” She smiled at the memory of little Lyceus telling jokes to the townsfolk and entertaining them. The adults had always been surprised by his quick wit and penchant for comedy “I love you Lyceus. I wish I could have the chance to really watch you grow up because I know you're gonna be something special.”

Xena waited until she had stopped crying to confront Gabrielle and Ephiny again.

“Did you get everything you needed?” Gabrielle asked once Xena left the crypt with Lyceus’s dark blue urn held protectively in her hands.

“Actually I want to make one more stop,” Xena said.

“Okay sure. Where?” Gabrielle asked.

“Cirra.”

“What’s in Cirra?” Gabrielle asked curiously.

“My biggest regret," Xena said. 

“Cortese?”

“No. Much much worse than Cortese.”

“What happened?”

“I’d rather you still saw some good in me before I'm gone," Xena said.


	38. Chapter 38

They arrived back at Hogwarts with two urns instead of one. Gabrielle had wanted so badly to ask Xena who was in the second urn but Xena deserved her privacy on the matter, especially considering the dangerous situation they were about to face.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the Room of Requirements. It was the dead of the night and luckily the professors were all asleep.

“Here it is,” Gabrielle said steering her two friends to the old black cabinet. The sides looked even more worn than they had before with what appeared to be several new areas where the paint had chipped away. It wasn't hard to guess that several members of Alti's army had probably used it. “Xena, I think she’s already found it.”

Xena said nothing but Gabrielle could see a subtle look of fear cross her face. Gabrielle had to admire her ability to hide her emotions so well in every situation. That certainly wasn’t the case with Gabrielle right now. 

“Let’s go,” Xena said hurrying them inside the cabinet. 

Gabrielle didn’t know what to make of her lack of response, but Xena was right they needed to hurry.

“Here Ephiny,” Xena said, extending her arm to Ephiny to help her inside too.

Once they were all huddled together, Xena closed the door and they were instantly swallowed by darkness.

“How long did you have to wait to -” Xena was cut off as soon as Gabrielle opened the door again.

“Not long,” Gabrielle said slowly stepping out of the cabinet and into the cave. “Watch your step. The floor is very uneven.”

“Do either of you know where the actual ruby is?” Ephiny asked.

“No,” they both said at once.

“Wonderful,” she said, surveying the vast cavern before them.

Xena handed Ephiny one of the urns so they could all light their wands.

SQUACK!

“What was that?” Gabrielle asked. Compared to the cave, their wands were only able to light a small area surrounding them. It wasn’t enough to identify where the sound was coming from, but judging by the fear written on Xena and Ephiny’s face they didn’t need to see the creature to identify what it was.

“Are those…” Ephiny started.

Xena nodded. “Occamy.”

“Xena what is that supposed to be? It sounded like a really large -”, in that instant a giant bird flapped towards them with a snape-like body and two giant feet. It’s face just catching in the light and Gabrielle caught the brightness of it's yellow eyes. “By all the Gods on Olympus that’s huge! What do we do?”

“We find her eggs,” Xena said, gliding her wand across the cave.

“Her eggs? Xena I don’t know what you’re talking about, I don’t see any -”

“There!” Ephiny said pointing towards a group of sparkly silver eggs. Then a loud crack echoed throughout the cave as Ephiny looked down at the newly broken egg she'd stepped on. 

“Ephiny get out of there,” Xena warned.

Ephiny started running towards them but was suddenly pulled back as a long tail wrapped itself around her waist and lifted her into the air. She was thrown against the wall with a loud cracking sound.

“EPHINY!” Gabrielle shouted racing towards her.

“Gabrielle get back here!” It wasn’t long before Xena was by her side and pulling her back.

“We have to make sure she’s alright,” Gabrielle said fiercely. She couldn’t lose another friend. Not again.

“We will. But we have to get the Occamy out of the way first.”

“How?” Gabrielle asked. 

“I’ll grab one of her eggs and -”

“No!” Gabrielle said angrily. “Didn’t you see what happened to Ephiny when she tried that?”

The Occamy circled overhead and Xena and Gabrielle sprinted to avoid her giant beak. Xena shot flames from her wand, which was enough to deter the Occamy for a few seconds.

“That’s why I need you to do something for me!” she shouted over the sounds of the squacking. “See that entrance over there?”

“Yeah!” Gabrielle returned as she spotted the small opening on one of the walls.

“We need to get her in there!”

“There’s no way she’ll fit through that opening!” Gabrielle pointed out as Xena shot more flames from her wand and they narrowly avoided the Occamy again. “And how would we lead her in there?”

“Occamies can change their size drastically to adapt to their surroundings. If she sees one of us taking her eggs in there she’ll find a way to fit.”

“Okay,” Gabrielle said suddenly understanding. “So one of us distracts her while the other leads her to the cave?”

Xena nodded.

"What should we do?" Gabrielle asked.

"I don't know," Xena said, clearly thinking about the different possibilities. Then the expression on her face suddenly looked as though she'd figured it out. “Go back into the Room of Requirements and find something small that we can enclose the Occamy in. Bring it back to me.”

“What about you? What are you going to do while I’m gone?”

“I’ll be fine Gabrielle just go!”

Gabrielle sprinted back to the vanishing cabinet.

_Something small, something small,_ Gabrielle chanted as she searched the room ferociously. _Why does everything in the room have to be so unorganized?_

Funny how the instant she wanted to actually find something it wasn’t there. She could’ve sworn she’d found a small jewelry box in here before, but where was it? Everything surrounding her was either too big to carry or something completely different from what they needed. What if it was already too late? What if her friends were dead?

_You can’t think like that,_ Gabrielle scolded herself. She was going to save her friends if it was the last thing she did. She continued digging around until suddenly she spotted the perfect item.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Terminology Guide  
> Harry Potter Terms  
> Occamy: creature with a bird-like head and snake-like body, can shrink or grow in size at will and is fiercely protective of it’s babies (https://www.pottermore.com/explore-the-story/occamys)
> 
> Incendio: spell that sends fire out of a wand


	39. Head Starts and Injuries

_ Please hurry Gabrielle,  _ Xena thought as she came within inches of being the Occamy's giant beak. The Occamy was strong but it was moving slower due to a visible wound on its side. Alti had passed through this area already but there was no telling how long it had been hurt for.

“Xena I got it!”

“Great job Gabrielle. Now I want you to tend to Ephiny while I trap the Occamy inside.”

Gabrielle nodded. “Be careful Xena.”

“I will.”

Xena knew she was going to have to be quick. She reached for one of the eggs and in an instant the Occamy was on her feet, her eyes narrowing and her entire body signaling an angry warning.

Xen a could only hope the giant bird serpent would be slowed down by its wound, but even then she would be hard to outrun. Whatever Alti had done to the Occamy it clearly wasn’t holding up.

SQUACK! SQUACK! The birds screeching intensified. Xena shot some flames from her wand, buying her just enough time to slip through the small cave opening. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

When Gabrielle found Ephiny she was lying on her side with her back facing away from Gabrielle. Gabrielle didn’t know how she could forgive herself if she’d caused another death. It was enough that they’d lost Marcus because of her mistakes, if she’d lead Ephiny into her death too…

“Ephiny?”

There was silence for a moment as Gabrielle rushed to her side. Gabrielle held her breath until she finally saw Ephiny move. “Oh thank the Gods Ephiny - are you hurt?”

“Just my arm,” she managed, though her face betrayed her true pain. “Think it might be broken or something.”

“If Xena and I hadn’t dragged you here with us -” Gabrielle started. 

“It’s alright Gabrielle, really. I’m fine.”

“Here let me help you to your feet,” Gabrielle said offering her a hand, which she took. “Any other injuries?”

“I don’t think so. My legs a little bruised up but I don’t think anything serious,” she said. Gabrielle wrapped Ephiny’s uninjured arm around her shoulder and helped steady her. “We’re gonna get you to the hospital wing and -”

“No I”ll be fine really. We don’t have time for that,” Ephiny said. 

Once Gabrielle spotted Xena she let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s done. Ephiny you doing okay?” 

“She’s hurt,” Gabrielle said worriedly.

“It’s just my arm,” Ephiny insisted.

“But we don’t know that that’s all. Xena I think we should take her to the hospital wing just in case.”

“No I don’t need -” Ephiny started.

“Gabrielle’s right we need to make sure you don’t have any internal injuries. Where does it hurt?”

“My left leg,” Ephiny said.

Xena nodded and before either of them could say a word Xena had ripped Ephiny’s pantleg and started examining for anything out of the ordinary. “Everything looks good, just a little banged up. Does it hurt when I press here?”

Ephiny shook her head. 

“I don’t feel any swelling either. I think you’re leg’s okay. Now let’s check out that left arm.”

Ephiny bit her lip as Xena felt around the sore limb. “Definitely broken. The good news is your bone hasn’t torn through the skin. You’re much less likely to have an infection that way, but it may still be a possibility. ”

“See she needs to go to the hospital wing,” Gabrielle said.

“No,” Ephiny said. “Who will be there to stop Xena when she touches the ruby?”

Xena and Gabrielle looked at each other for a moment. Ephiny was right of course, but nobody wanted to say the words aloud.

After a long silence Gabrielle finally spoke. “I’ll do it.”

“Ending someone’s life changes you forever Gabrielle,” Xena said with grave seriousness.

Ephiny nodded, “she’s right. I need to be the one who does it. I'll be fine Gabrielle.”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Xena said.

“You didn't ask,” Ephiny said.

“Okay at least let me help the healing process a little," Xena said.

Ephiny nodded.

A sudden rippng noise made Ephiny and Gabrielle jump. “Xena what -” Gabrielle asked as she watched Xena rip more of her pant leg.

“This should help keep her arm in place,” Xena answered. “Hold this side for me.” 

Gabrielle held one side firm while Xena tied several pieces of cloth together, which she then wrapped around Ephiny’s shoulder.

“I have to move your arm,” Xena said. Ephiny nodded and took a deep breath. Gabrielle lended Ephiny her hand.

“Okay I’m ready.” Despite her best intentions she let out a scream as Xena moved her arm away from it’s position. Gabrielle felt her hand squeeze so tight she thought it might fall off, but she looked at her friend with sympathy.

“Doing okay?” she asked.

Ephiny nodded as Xena tied the sling around her arm which held Ephiny’s arm close to her body.

“How do you know to do all that?” Gabrielle asked surprised.

“I had a good teacher,” she explained.

“Headmaster Ma?” Gabrielle asked. Xena didn’t answer, but she knew that was what she’d meant.

"Okay we'd better start moving," Xena said when she was finished with Ephiny's arm. "Alti's already got a good head start on us."


	40. Chapter 40

As the trio wandered the cave Xena wondered if they would ever find Alti. It wasn’t until at least an hour later that they spotted a red glow emanating from the cavern opening off in the distance.

“That must be it,” Xena announced. Her eyes were so focused on what lay ahead she nearly lost sight of Gabrielle as was about to step forward into what looked like a very large abyss -

“Thank the Gods - you know I thought this would take a lot long -”

“Gabrielle watch your step!” She raced to Gabrielle’s side and threw her back just in time.

Gabrielle’s eyes widened in fear as she watched several small rocks fall over the edge from where she’d been standing before. “That - that could have been me,” she croaked. “I -” she shook her head in disbelief. "I almost fell down there."

“Why weren’t you paying attention?” Xena asked angrily, her voice raising to dangerous levels. She could still feel her heart pounding from what had almost transpired. She shuddered as the image of Gabrielle falling to her death flew threw her mind and she quickly pushed it away.

“No I guess I -”

“Gabrielle you can’t just wander around carelessly. You could have died,” Xena scolded.

“I know I’m sorry. I guess I just wasn’t thinking.”

“You need to be aware of your surroundings at all times.”

“Okay,” Gabrielle said as Ephiny placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Both of you stick by me and STAY alert,” Xena ordered.

“How are we supposed to get past that giant hole Xena?” Gabrielle asked as they both came to a halt at Xena’s side, neither one of them daring to wander too far away.

“There,” she said pointing towards an old rickety bridge a few feet to the right of them.

“It doesn’t look very safe,” Gabrielle pointed out.

“I know,” Xena agreed. “But it may be the only way. We’ll have to be extremely careful.”

They carefully made their way to the bridge, which looked more and more dangerous as they approached.

“I’ll hold both urns," Xena said. "If the bridge gives way I want you both to hold onto the rope.”

“What about you? You’ll have your hands full how will you -”

“I’ll be fine.”

“You know, you and Ephiny are the most stubborn people I’ve ever met,” Gabrielle said.

“We’ll have to go at separate times so there’s less pressure on the ropes,” Xena said. Gabrielle nodded but her face had turned about seven shades lighter. “We’ll make it through this.”

“I know. I just really really hate heights," Gabrielle said. She took a deep breath and followed Xena and Ephiny over to the bridge.

“Just keep your eyes forward and focus on keeping your grip on the rope,” Xena said. “Ephiny and I will be there too.”

Gabrielle nodded but was far from convinced.

“One of you will have to go first. I’ll take the rear,” Xena said.

They nodded.

“I can go first,” Ephiny offered.

“Alright. Make sure you’re holding onto the rope with your good hand too,” she said. If the planks start to fall head to the closest point you can make it to and don’t let go.”

“Okay.”

Ephiny took a small step forward and all three of them held their breath in anticipation. A loud CREAK echoed throughout the cave and the bridge swayed slightly, but the planks remained steady.

They waited for her to step a little further before Xena turned to Gabrielle. “Ready?”

“I - umm - yeah I’m ready.”

“It’s okay to be scared Gabrielle.”

“Okay good because I’ve never been this scared in my life,” she admitted, her eyes filled with fear. Xena had almost forgot just how young Gabrielle really was with how brave she'd been all semester, but this was a brutal reminder.

Xena knelt down so she was closer to Gabrielle’s height and placed both hands on her shoulders. “Ephiny and I will be here the entire time. We won’t let anything happen to you. It’ll all be over before you know it.”

Gabrielle’s entire body shook as she took several deep breaths.

“Over before I know it,” she repeated almost mindlessly. “Before I know it.”

She finally made her way to the first plank and stepped on. “Okay I can do this.”

“Good job Gabrielle.” She took another step only this time made the mistake of looking down. “Oh gods that’s far. Really far. Did I mention I hate heights?”

“Eyes forward,” Xena commanded. She waited for Gabrielle to force herself a few steps further and stepped on the first plank herself.

“I’m right behind ya. Keep going Gabrielle.”

“Okay,” she managed, her voice riddled with nerves.

Xena continued coaxing Gabrielle further down the bridge and breathed a sigh of relief as Ephiny made it to the other end.

“You’re almost over Gabrielle just a few more steps.” They both smiled to eachother once Gabrielle was over the ledge.

“You were right Xena that was over before I -” everyone went silent as the rope on the other side of the bridge snapped and was now holding on by a thread. 

“Xena don’t move,” Gabrielle warned. There was no way Xena could get to the other side without the rest of the rope coming undone, and at the moment she had no way of grabbing onto the rope if it fell either.

Everyone was quiet until Gabrielle finally spoke the words they’d all been thinking. “You’ll have to drop the urns.”

Xena shook her head. “No.”

“Xena you have to!” Gabrielle said angrily. "If you don't you'll die!"

“No. There’s another way and I’m gonna find it,” she searched the bridge thoroughly, desperate for anything that might help her but there was nothing. She was too far away to toss the urns to Ephiny or Gabrielle at this point, and she couldn’t get any closer.

"We could try Wingardium Leviosa on the urns," Ephiny suggested.

They could hear the rope slowly getting closer to snapping completely. "We'd better hurry," Gabrielle said.

Ephiny and Gabrielle quickly spoke the incantation aloud, "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"

Nothing happened.

They tried again. "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"

"It won't reach far enough," Ephiny said.

"You have to choose Xena," Gabrielle said quickly. “As soon as you take another step the bridge will snap and you won’t be able to bring either one back. Xena please, it's stupid to die this way!" 

“Gabrielle’s right Xena,” Ephiny said.

Xena could hear the desperation in both of their voices, but she couldn’t lose Lyceus, not after everything she’d been through to get here. 

Suddenly the rope snapped and Xena was forced to make a snap decision.

She only saw a glimpse of the golden urn as it fell into the darkness below, but it was enough for the strong feeling of guilt and self-hatred to overcome her once again. She'd chosen her brother over an innocent stranger who she owed a second life to more than anyone else. She pulled Lyceus's urn closer to her.

Only once Gabrielle and Ephiny called down to her was she able to return to reality.

“XENA! XENA ARE YOU OKAY?” Gabrielle screamed. For a second Xena didn't answer.

"XENA!" Gabrielle cried out again.

"I'm okay," Xena called back just loud enough to be heard. But Xena wasn't okay. She'd chosen to be selfish over everything else. Had she made the right decision? How could she have possibly sacrificed Lyceus?


	41. Fathers and Corpses

Tension was high as they neared the glowing cave entrance. Gabrielle tried to ease the tension a little by talking, but underneath it all she was really nervous. She knew Alti wouldn’t let them through without a fight. Not to mention Xena’s plan to sacrifice herself. She wished desperately she could change her mind but that was looking less and less likely the closer they got to the ruby.

“I wonder how many people Alti’s got with her,” Gabrielle said. “How many people would be so cruel as to follow her leadership?”

“When you lose someone you love more than life itself, it’s not hard to imagine the lengths you’ll go to bring them back,” Xena said.

“I understand that, but Xena this is different,” Gabrielle said. “This is something evil we’re dealing with. To lose all of your humanity…”

Xena didn’t respond, and Gabrielle wasn’t sure if the words were even getting to her. This had probably been a lost cause all along.

When they finally made it to the cave's entrance Gabrielle could hear Alti’s snide voice from inside. The red glowing light was almost blinding as they entered and it took what felt like several seconds for her eyes to adjust. When they did she almost wished they hadn’t, what she saw before her was worse than she had imagined. Alti was standing before a group of what looked to be at least forty people lined along the cave wall, her hand inches away from the Ruby and Jean standing beside her.

“Well you have perfect timing Xena. And you brought the dumb blonde with you.” She grinned. “Where’s that boy you were always hanging out with? What was his name? Oh wait...I almost forgot. Guess he wasn't as strong as you thought.”

Xena glared, but remained calm despite what Gabrielle could tell was hatred and fury brewing inside her. “So Alti what’s the big plan? Why do you need all these girls to do it?”

“Oh come on Xena, it won’t be that easy,” she said. “It’s not too late to join us. We could accomplish so much together. And we both know how desperate you are to bring your precious little brother back.”

Xena’s glare intensified but Gabrielle could tell she was considering her offer.

“Maybe it’s time I demonstrated. You.” Alti pointed to Jean who reacted immediately. Jean made her way to Alti with her eyes fixed somewhere off into the distance, and it seemed as though she was avoiding eye contact with Gabrielle as well.

Jean handed Alti the bag she was holding and emptied what looked like an old decayed body onto the ground. Several people gasped, Gabrielle included.

Alti reached for the ruby and Gabrielle moved forward a little, "Alti you're making a great mistake."

Alti grinned and before anyone could react threw her hand around the ruby. Her entire body took in the energy with a deep hunger, her evil smile growing wider and a deep cackle escaping her lips and echoing into the cave wall. As soon as her fingers touched the dead corpse a swirl of red light surrounded the body and what had been gray and pruned skin turned to a healthy color of tan. Gabrielle had been expecting the ruby’s power to be true, but watching the whole thing unfold was still shocking beyond her wildest dreams.

Jean’s eyes filled with tears as her now breathing father opened his eyes. “Dad,” she whispered, engulfing him in a hug.

“Jeanie,” he whispered affectionately, pulling her in closer. “What happened? Where am I?”

“You were dead, Alti brought you back,” she said happily. “Do you remember being in the afterlife?”

He nodded as Jean helped him to his feet. “I remember the Elysian fields. Jeanie it was beautiful. But I never stopped missing you and your mother.”

“Enough drama,” Alti said rolling her eyes. “On your knees,” she demanded.

Jean’s father blinked, “what?”

Alti glared. “I said on your knees.” Jean's father quickly obeyed.

“What are you doing?” Jean asked.

Alti turned to Xena. “You wanted to know my plan. I’m eliminating the power men seem to think they have over us.”

“You can’t just kill half the population,” Gabrielle said. 

“Who said anything about killing? No, they’ll just be forced to do my bidding,” Alti said. She turned to Jean’s father, “and you’ll make an excellent start.”

“No!” Jean ran in front of him to shield his body. “I didn’t join you so you could turn my father into your slave!”

“I seem to recall you telling me you didn’t care how I brought your father back as long as he was amongst the living,” Alti said. “You didn’t even care once Gabrielle told you the truth behind the ruby’s powers. It didn’t matter how many people were killed in the process, you just wanted him back in your life.”

“That’s not true!”

“Then why didn’t you turn me in when you had the chance?” Alti asked.

Jean opened her mouth to respond but in an instant Alti had wrap her hands around Jean's throat. Without warning Alti twisted Jean's neck and the sickening crack of bone echoed throughout the room.

“Jean!” Gabrielle raced to Jean’s limp body.

Jean's father remained on his knees for a moment, completely frozen in shock. Then he rushed towards Alti in a fit of rage and within seconds she'd snapped his neck too.

“You’re a monster!” Gabrielle said angrily.

“So who’s next?” Alti asked. When nobody volunteered she pointed to another girl. “You,” the red haired girl didn’t move. “Either join me here or you’ll be the next to go.”


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This section contains some violence and gore. Explanation on the next page for those who skip.

“Now’s your last chance Xena. You can finally have a family again, just like you’ve always wanted," Alti taunted.

_“Come back here Xena!” Toris yelled, his face turning red in frustration. “Hiding won’t get you very far.”_

_"I think it will,” Xena whispered and her and Lyceus burst into a fit of quiet laughter. But not quiet enough that Toris didn't hear it. He lifted the tablecloth and glared at the two children hiding underneath._

_"_ _It’s not our fault you’re such a light sleeper Toris,” Lyceus snickered, causing Xena to laugh even more._

_“I don’t see what you’re so mad about Tor. You’re always complaining to mother about how long you’re hair has gotten,” Xena said. “Now all you have to do is cut the other side and you’ll be great.”_

_“I could kill you both right now you know that. Snap you’re little necks like twigs.”_

_“Toris,” mother scowled._

_“Did you see what they've done to my hair?” he asked, his face turning red again._

_“Yes. I think it looks very becoming,” Cyrene said._

_Toris dropped his hands to his side in defeat. “Oh I see. Because I’m the oldest I’m instantly at fault here.”_

_“That’s not what I said. I said you looked handsome. Your brother and sister are both grounded for a month.”_

_“What?” Xena and Lyceus protested._

_“You both know that’s fair for being so cruel to your brother.”_

_Toris smiled in victory._

_“Now all of you help me set the table,” she demanded._

_“Fine,” they all three said at once._

_Xena ruffled Lyceus’s hair and whispered, “we still got the better end of the deal.”_

_“Hey I heard that!” Toris protested._

The ruby was right there. All she had to do was take a few steps forward.

“No,” she said forcefully. “Gabrielle was right. It's not fair of me to risk innocent lives. Lyceus deserves to be honored better than that.”

Alti looked surprised, but she quickly smiled. "More power for me.”

“I don’t think so Alti," Xena said, reaching for the Chakram on her side.

WHOOSH! The sound of a metal disc filled the air and before Alti could react Xena’s Chakram had sliced through hand hand, leaving a limp bloody stump in it’s place. Her scream of rage rang through the air. The bloody chakram found it’s way back to Xena’s hand and she watched, almost as if it were in slow motion as the ruby, and her last chance to bring Lyceus back, shattered into pieces on the ground. There was no going back now.

_I’m sorry Ly._

“You bitch!” Alti screeched. She snatched a handful of Gabrielle’s hair and pulled her towards her. “After all the effort you put into saving her. You’ll be losing a lot more than I did.”

“Let her go Alti,” Xena said through gritted teeth.

Alti snaked an arm around Gabrielle's neck and smiled, “say good bye Xena.”

“NOOOO!” Xena screamed. Alti was about to twist Gabrielle’s neck when Gabrielle suddenly began inhaling desperately for air. “What are you doing to her?”

“I have no idea. But I think a slow and painful death is much more climactic don’t you think?” She grinned as Gabrielle continued trying to suck air into her lungs but it didn’t seem to be working. “Maybe there was more to that little ruby than I thought.”

“I’m the one you want dead. I took your arm and your ruby, kill me!” Xena screamed.

“No this is so much better," Alti said. "When I saw how much it hurt you to lose that little boyfriend of yours I realized that was the best way to punish you."

Xena was running out of options. She looked wildly around for anything she could do, when suddenly it hit her. She grabbed her Chakram, which was still dripping with Alti’s blood, and prepared to throw it against the cave wall. It was extremely risky but not doing anything was even riskier.

“Wait!”

Xena froze in mid-throw as Professor Booksnatcher came running into the cave.

“Do that and the whole cave comes crumbling down,” Professor Booksnatcher warned, although Xena already knew that had been part of the risk.

Xena turned back to Gabrielle who was turning extremely pale from lack of oxygen. Suddenly, Professor Booksnatcher ran forward and directed both of her hands towards Alti causing her to fly back against the wall. It looked as though the force had been more powerful than Professor Booksnatcher imagined as her eyes widened when the cave wall suddenly started to shake. Several rocks began to fall from above Alti’s head and a few large rocks from above crashed into her.

“Everyone out!” Xena screamed as more rocks started to fall. 

She grabbed Gabrielle, who was now unconscious, with her free hand and held her over her shoulder with a protective arm around her. From what Xena had seen no rocks had fallen on her, her unconsciousness was clearly due to lack of oxygen. What had Alti done to her?

Professor Booksnatcher quickly grabbed the last glowing piece of ruby with the sleeve of her cloak and threw it into her pouch.

Once all of the girls were out of the cave Xena and Ephiny left as well.

“Thank the Gods, that was close,” Professor Booksnatcher said once the final rock fell, completely enclosing the cave’s entrance.

“How did you know we would be here?” Xena asked, turning on Professor Booksnatcher.

“Lay off, she just saved us,” one of the girls said.

“How do we know that wasn’t part of your plan?” Xena asked.

“Gabrielle started asking questions some really strange questions in detention,” Professor Booksnatcher. “At first I thought it was just something she was curious about, but all of you went missing I had a really strong hunch this is where you would be.”

Xena was about to question her further when Ephiny interrupted.

“Xena...” she said.

“What Ephiny?” Xena snapped. 

“I think Gabrielle might be -” Ephiny started. "Xena I think she's more than unconscious."

“No she isn’t,” Xena said with an intensity that took them both by surprise. She calmed her voice again, “She got knocked out. We just have to wait-” she stopped for a second when she didn’t feel a pulse.

“What? What’s wrong?” 

Xena started CPR immediately. “Gabrielle? Gabrielle!”

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do at this point,” one of the girls chimed in.

“Yes there is,” she said angrily. “Come on Gabrielle. I need you in my life, you hear me? I need you. Come on, come on!”

“Xena let her go, she’s gone.”

“Just give her a chance,” Ephiny told the other girls. 

“Come on Gabrielle.”

Then sudden realization hit Xena as she turned to Professor Booksnatcher, who’d been watching the scene with silent concern. “The ruby.”

“No Xena, that isn’t a good idea,” Professor Booksnatcher said. “We both know what will happen to you. Who knows if the ruby will even be strong enough to bring her back...”

“If I don’t then that means Gabrielle stays dead,” Xena said, wiping tears from her face. “Please. Gabrielle can’t die. I don’t care what the ruby does to me. I have to try.”

Professor Booksnatcher nodded and reached into her pouch. Before Xena knew what was going on Professor Booksnatcher had grabbed the ruby herself, “move out of the way.”

A swirl of red light smaller than that which had surrounded Alti shot out from the small piece of ruby. Xena remained firmly at Gabrielle’s side, “what are you doing? You’ll lose your -”

“I know,” Professor Booksnatcher said reaching a hand out and grabbing Gabrielle’s wrist. The same red light suddenly surrounded Gabrielle and a small marking began to form on Gabrielle’s wrist as she slowly started regaining color in her face. Professor Booksnatcher looked at Xena seriously, “when I’m finished, destroy the ruby.”

Xena nodded. She looked at Professor Booksnatcher with a serious intensity, “thank you.”

“Just keep her out of this kind of trouble from now on,” Professor Booksnatcher said. “She’s a good person.”

“She is,” Xena said. “I’m sorry for -”

“It’s alright,” Professor Booksnatcher said. Suddenly without warning Gabrielle sat up and Xena quickly placed an arm around her, but within seconds Gabrielle began spitting up a stream of water. 

“Is this supposed to happen?” Xena asked with concern.

“I don’t know,” Professor Booksnatcher said.

"Gabrielle are you okay?" Xena asked, holding her closer until finally the coughing subsided.

Gabrielle nodded weakly.

Xena smiled, but her voice was stern, “you gave me a heart attack Gabrielle, you know that?”

Gabrielle managed a small smile, “did we stop Alti?”

“I don’t know,” Xena said. The thought of Alti being out there would have worried Xena more in that moment, but she was just so happy to have Gabrielle back none of that mattered then. "Right now all I care about is that you're okay. We can worry about Alti later."

This time it was Gabrielle who hugged Xena tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References  
> Manney, P., (Writer), & Scott, T. J. (Director). (1996). Is there a doctor in the house?. [Television series episode]. In R. Tapert and S. Raimi (Producers). Xena: Warrior Princess, New Zealand: Renaissance Pictures.


	43. Cards and Flower Vases

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N for those who skipped last chapter: What you missed, Xena debated whether to use the ruby for herself, but in the end decided to destroy the ruby instead. To do so she threw her Chakram and Alti lost her arm as a result. She tries to kill Gabrielle and when Alti touches her she starts gasping for air (due to the ruby's powers). then she Professor Booksnatcher showed up and saved them (she'd gotten suspicious of Gabrielle looking for the ruby from a talk they had in an earlier chapter). When they escape the cave they find out Gabrielle is dead and Xena tries to revive her similarly to the season 1 finale. When that doesn't work she decides to use the last bit of the ruby, only Professor Booksnatcher decides to be the one who uses it. They save Gabrielle.

Gabrielle barely remembered the trip back to the vanishing cabinet. It had taken several girls to cast reparo on the bridge and make it usable again. Before all of that Xena had apparently ended Professor Booksnatcher's life for her and helped lead Gabrielle all the way back to Hogwarts. After that everything was a blur. Gabrielle was surprised when she opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar area.

She was on a bed and surrounding her was piles and piles of what appeared to be various types of candy. There were also several cards and flower vases scattered around Gabrielle's bedside. Out of all the beds in the Hospital Wing, Gabrielle's was the most decorated by far.

As soon as Gabrielle sat up Xena was by her side. “How are you feeling?” she asked gently.

The truth was Gabrielle was still shaken up from the events that had transpired in the cave. When Alti had touched her she’d suddenly found herself submerged in water, drowning. It had been so real, she'd actually believed she was surrounded in a pool of water with no escape. She had a strange feeling that Alti had been showing her the future, _her_ future. Had Alti been showing her her death? 

“I’m feeling okay,” Gabrielle said with a smile, not wanting to admit the truth. “How are you? How’s Ephiny?”

“We’re both fine. Ephiny just stepped out for a moment, she stayed here overnight as well. Hagrid and Adonis stopped by not long after you were brought in. They're responsible for most of this,” she said motioning to the wide assortment of candy surrounding her.

“You guys didn't have to stay here all night just for me,” Gabrielle said.

“We wanted to,” Xena said with a smile.

There was a silence.

“Xena…” Gabrielle said reaching for her hand, which Xena surprisingly didn’t wrench away. “I’m really sorry about Lyceus.”

Xena’s eyes began to water and she looked away. ”It was the right thing to do Gabrielle. Lyceus never would have forgiven me if I’d killed people to keep him alive.”

Gabrielle wanted Xena to have a chance to really let her emotions out so she let the following moments play out with silence. It was clear Xena had likely been crying all night over the fact that she'd lost her final chance to bring Lyceus back.

“I guess I almost died, huh?” Gabrielle said after a while, still unable to believe it herself.

“Yeah you did,” Xena said, the smile leaving her face. “That really scared me Gabrielle. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t woken up.”

“It probably would’ve been a relief,” Gabrielle laughed, but Xena remained serious.

“Before this year started I thought I would never find someone I care deeply about. I thought I didn’t want that but I was wrong. You’re my best friend Gabrielle.”

“You’re mine too,” Gabrielle said through newly forming tears. “I’m really gonna miss you next year.”

A smirk crossed Xena’s face. “I don’t know, I was thinking about coming back.”

Gabrielle’s mouth dropped open. “Really?”

“With the possibility of Alti being out there somewhere I don't feel comfortable leaving you here alone," Xena said, although Gabrielle suspected there was more to her reasoning. But it didn't matter either way because Xena was coming back next year, and that was more than she could have ever hoped for.

“Oh Xena I -” Gabrielle was so happy she didn’t know what to say. “What are your plans for the summer? Do you have anywhere to stay, because Potadeia is-”

“I’m not planning on settling down in one place,” Xena said.

“You mean you’re spending the summer alone?” Gabrielle asked. “Why don’t I come with you?”

“No, your family will want you back home,” Xena said seriously. “But we’ll see each other again next term. I promise.”

“My family isn’t going to miss me that much. I’ll just send a letter to let them know I’ll be back just before next term starts,” Gabrielle insisted.

“No Gabrielle,” Xena said. “I’ll be fine.”

“No you won’t,” Gabrielle said. “Besides if you're worried about Alti being out, shouldn't I stay with you until she's been stopped?”

Xena couldn't really argue with that logic, she didn't want to lose Gabrielle again. "Alright. You can join me this summer. But that's it. Next summer you go home with your family."

"Okay," Gabrielle said, though she couldn't hide the excitement she was feeling. She was surprised Xena had agreed. "What's that?" she asked as Xena pulled out a large wooden board with several small pieces.

"Wizard's chess," Xena said. "I thought we could try it out."

"Sure," Gabrielle said, ready for the challenge. Then her excitement faltered a little, "just as long as it doesn't spray any weird smelling substances at me. Took me weeks to get the smell out the first time we played Gobstones - and let me tell you the smell did not go unnoticed by the other girls in my house." Gabrielle's nose had become numb to the putrid smell after a while, but it had certainly been miserable up until that point.

Then another thought suddenly crossed Gabrielle's mind. Maybe, just maybe, she would have a natural talent for wizard's chess. Finally beating Xena at something would be worth any strange price she may have to pay.

The End. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is officially the last chapter of Book 1, but I wanted to add in the original chapter on the next page for anyone curious. 
> 
> Special Thanks: I want to thank everyone for giving this story a try. I am very grateful! :)
> 
> Update schedule of sequel: I won't be able to keep a consistent update schedule throughout the school year, so it will be more of a post when I've got a chapter or more finished. When summer comes around I will go back to a consistent update schedule.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone interested, this was the original first chapter I deleted. It is not necessary for understanding the story or anything, it's more of a supplemental piece, but I'm making it available in case anyone is curious.

Original First Chapter

_ “Over here Lyceus! Something’s pulling!” _

_ Xena’s younger brother raced to where she was standing. After hours of trying to reel in the biggest fish of the lake, they were nearing the possibility of success.  _

_ “I’ll help!” Lyceus joined Xena’s side and grabbed onto whatever bit of pole was left to grab. “We almost got it. Xena hold...tighter.” _

_ “I’m...trying,” she forced out. The strength of the fish’s pull was growing, she steadied her breathing to help her concentrate, something she had learned when fishing with her father years ago. If she kept her body controlled she could haul the fish over to the shore, but she needed to be as precise as possible. “Lyceus keep your feet planted. You’re about to -” _

_ WHAP. It was too late. The two young children fell with a crash into the overgrown grass; the giant fish was gone, and the fishing pole along with it. _

_ "We almost had it,” Lyceus said slamming a small fist to the grass in defeat. _

_ Xena rustled his sandy blonde hair. “Maybe next time, Ly.” _

_ “You really think so?” _

_ Xena nodded. “He doesn’t stand a chance against us.” _

_ The small warrior grabbed a handful of grass and started pulling at the ends. They’d nearly caught the fish they’d been hunting since the days when their father had first started teaching them to fish. The only person she knew who didn’t see the importance of catching him was Toris. It was hard to find anything that excited or amused him. Xena always wondered why he’d always insisted on being so serious all the time. But it didn’t matter; Xena and Lyceus had plenty of non serious fun without him. _

_ “I’ve always wondered why you were such a horrible person Xena,” Lyceus said casually. Xena’s attention snapped back to reality. She was sure she had heard him wrong. _

_ “Lyceus, what –“ _

_ “You let them hurt me. You’re the reason it all happened,” he continued. _

_ “Let who hurt you?“ she asked confused, then her heart stopped suddenly as she turned her attention from the blades of grass to Lyceus. His eyes, which had been brown only moments before, were a pale gray. “Lyceus? Lyceus what’s happened to your eyes?” _

_ Was he blind? Had someone cast the Imperius curse on him? _

_ “Xena, why’d you let them do this to me?” he asked, shaking his head fearfully. _

_ “Do what? Lyceus what’s happening?” Xena grabbed her brother’s shoulders as if doing so would suddenly wake him from his daze. _

_ “I’m scared Xena,” he said, his colorless eyes glancing at her in panic. He grabbed Xena’s arms. “I don’t wanna die. I want to stay with you…and Toris. And mother.” _

_ “You listen to me, I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Xena’s eyes shot around wildly, searching for some clue as to what was going on and how she could help him. _

_ “Xena,” he cried. Xena returned her gaze to him. _

_ ”I’m going to find out what’s happening, and I’ll fix this. You just hold tight, okay? I won’t let anyone hurt you.” _

_ Then suddenly, a scream broke out in the distance, somebody calling for help. Xena glanced back but didn’t see anything. She quickly returned to her brother “Lyceus I –“ she gasped. How had she missed it? How had she not seen the giant arrow buried in his chest? She shook her head, struggling to process exactly what was going on, until suddenly everything disappeared. _

“Helllllllllllp!”

“LYCEUS!” Xena’s eyes shot open and she instantly began surveying the area surrounding her, only just realizing it had been a dream and the lake she’d spent much of her early childhood years around was nowhere in sight. It was the same nightmare she’d had since the night she had lost her brother to Cortese and his men; somehow the pain was just as strong as it had been so long ago.

It wasn’t long before Xena realized where she was. Somewhere between the Grecian towns of Corinth and Argos, far from the town where she had grown up, not that Amphipolis was somewhere she hoped to return to anytime soon.

“Help! Help!”

Xena rolled to her side, covering her exposed ear to block out the screams, her mind running through a flurry of curse words. No matter what situation the stranger was in it was not Xena's responsibility to help them; she was no savior and pretending differently wasn't going to change that fact.

Despite a strong desire to ignore the situation her senses had already kicked into overdrive and were now working in tandem to better assess the situation. She counted what sounded like one adult man and a young child, boy or girl, not old enough yet for their voices to be distinguishable. The stuffed bear sprawled in a tangle of leaves and grass alerted Xena that the child had likely passed by her while she'd been sleeping, and an even stronger smell still told her the adult man had passed by as well, most likely within the last few minutes.

Xena quickly uncaged Argo. "Stay hidden." Argo gave her a look and Xena petted the stubborn owl in her favorite place behind the ear. "I mean it. Keep to the trees until I say otherwise." Argo gave off an indignant hoot and she was off.

Xena snatched the stuffed bear from the ground and let out one last sigh before taking off at a sprint towards the sounds of the screams. It wasn't long before she spotted two figures standing in the distance. She peeked behind one of the trees and saw that her instincts had been right. A man, average height with a stocky build, was standing before a frightened girl. He hadn't made his move yet. Judging by the look on his face he wanted to gloat before carrying out his plans, which fortunately was going to make things much easier on Xena.

"Your papa shoulda taught you not to wander out in the woods on your own," she heard the man say. He started towards the girl and Xena stepped out from behind the tree.

"And your papa shoulda taught you the importance of hygiene," she said.

The man whirled around to face Xena who was grinning at his sudden displeasure. "Not what you were expecting?"

The man looked stunned for a moment, but soon smiled at what he was sure would be his second victim of the day. "I like it when they fight. Gives me a challenge."

Xena reached forward and shoved the girl behind her back. "Don't move."

"You first then?" the man asked with an ugly grin that exposed his cracked teeth, a mixture of white, black, and yellow. He raised his wand, but not in time to parry Xena's cast. She caught his wand in her hand and raised him into the air by his feet. The young girl giggled at the sight.

"Put me down young lady, or I'm gonna tell your daddy!" the man threatened.

"My daddy's been gone a long time. I doubt he'll start caring now," Xena said dryly. She dropped him to the ground and jabbed her fingers into two particular points on his neck. His body locked into place and it took him every bit of physical strength to spit at Xena. "Tell me what you were going to do to this girl," she demanded. "You’ve got 30 seconds."

A mischievous grin played across his face.

"You have about 28 seconds at this point to answer before you die. I'm glad you find that amusing."

"I ain't tellin' you nothin'"

Without saying a word, Xena turned to walk away.

"Wait! Okay I'll tell you. Couple friends a' mine, we - we was gonna ransom her out," he said. Xena faced him again. "We was gonna take her to the village and wait for her parents to pay us. After that we was gonna bring her right back. I swear tha's all it was."

The girl behind Xena gripped her arm in fear. Xena stared at the man, her intense blue eyes boring into his soul. She steered the girl in front of her and placed a pair of protective hands over her shoulders.

The man blinked fearfully as Xena's eerily calm hatred became clearer. "She's not going anywhere," she glanced at the girl, who nodded in response. "You and your friends come near her again and I'll ensure the pain of your death follows you to Tartarus."

"What now?" the little girl asked.

"I’m taking you home," Xena said.

"Hey wait - wait a minute! Aren't you gonna undo this?" the man sputtered. "You can't kill me! Please!"

Xena undid the pinch and quickly conjured some rope to tie his hands together. "Relax. I'm not gonna kill ya. Right now I need you alive."

"What - what are you -" the man began to protest as the knot tightened around his wrists.

"You're sticking with me until we find the rest of your friends," Xena said, holding a knee to his back as he squirmed to keep him in place. She turned to the girl, "I assume you know how to get home from here."

She nodded and pointed off into the distance, "it's a few miles out that way."

It was a long walk and not one that Xena felt comfortable with a child walking alone. As much as she wanted to be done with the whole ordeal, she knew she couldn't leave the young girl walking around by herself. Xena found some old cloth in her suitcase and used it as a blindfold for the man. She then conjured more rope and tied him to the nearest tree. "I'll come back for you as soon as she's safe. Don't go anywhere."

"Where'm I gonna go, huh?" the man asked as she walked away. "I'm tied to a tree for the Gods' sakes!"

Once they arrived at the girl's house, Xena gave the girl a stern look, wanting to make sure she was getting her point across. "It's not safe to wander around by yourself. Don't do it again."

"Okay," the girl said quietly. She looked on the verge of tearing up.

Xena reached into her suitcase once more. "Found this in the woods," she said handing the bear to the girl who jumped with excitement.

"Mr. Cuddles! You found him!" she exclaimed. Then she hugged the bear tight in her arms like she wouldn't dare lose it again. "You're my hero. I'm gonna tell everyone you saved me."

The words seemed to echo in Xena's mind. "Trust me I'm no hero."

"Yu-huh you saved me! Wanna come over for dinner? Ma's a great cook!"

"Sorry kid," Xena said simply. Even if she didn't have other places to be, sitting at an awkward dinner making small talk wasn’t something she found to be a particularly exciting offer.

"Just for a little while? Pretty pretty please," the little girl pleaded. She turned back around to face Xena, but when she did Xena was gone.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The man led Xena to a small town a few candle marks away. By the time they arrived it was already midday.

"I's just over in that barn," he said. "Mind untyin' me?"

Xena yanked the rope harder and he toppled to the ground. He stared up at Xena impatiently.

"Hey, I'm not the bad guy here. The bad guy's the one who plagued our town with nothin'. Our people are starved, my family hasn't earned enough for a decent meal in years."

"Could've fooled me," she said. It was clear he hadn't missed a meal in a long time.

"What we do, i's enough to keep our family alive," he said. "We had to find a way to make money somehow, was the only way."

"So you chose to kidnap children?"

“They never get hurt, never. A little scared, maybe, but we always bring 'em back."

Xena knew he was merely stalling for time until he could attempt his escape. "There are other ways of earning money. Ones that don't involve hurting innocent people."

He rolled his eyes impatiently and Xena forced him to his feet.

"We're here," he said. "Now let me go."

"Not a chance."

She surveyed the entrance, which by the looks of it had suffered years of water damage and other decay, leaving it deeply rotted and vulnerable. Xena kicked through with just enough pressure knock the door off its hinges and send it crashing to the floor. The men and women inside jumped back in alarm and stared at Xena. There were only five members in the group, and each bore at least a slight resemblance to the man tied up beside her, leaving Xena to believe this was a family effort.

"Where are they?" she demanded.

"Where's who? We don't know what you're talkin' 'bout lady," one of the men growled.

"That's Xena!" one of the women shouted.

Panicked whispers filled the room.

"The youngest ever to go to Azkaban," another man said.

"That's right," Xena said darkly. She raised her wand and everyone but the oldest man in the room cowered back.

"I'd say you're in no position to be threatenin' us," he said. "The ministry will be watching you. One wrong move'll send you right back to prison."

"I've been meaning to catch up with some friends there," Xena said.

"Ha, from what I've heard Azkaban isn't a place you want to visit twice," the oldest man said. "You and your childish arrogance don't scare me."

In an instant Xena had brought the older man to one knee with a single kick. He screamed in pain as he held his right leg, which was now bent at an unnatural angle. "Tell me where they are or I break the other one."

"Okay, alright," he cried, his face sweaty and twisted with pain. "They're locked away, underneath the floorboards."

"Show me."

The tall man was shaking as he kicked away the hay and dirt with his good leg to reveal the trapdoor below.

One man attempted to escape, but Xena stupefied him. He flew back and nearly broke through the barn walls with the amount of force given off from the spell. She couldn't risk anyone going after her or the kids, so she conjured several feet of rope and tied everyone together. Once there was no chance of escape, she lifted the handle and cast lumos into the small room below to reveal several pairs of worried eyes glancing up at her.

"Give me your hand. I'll help you up," she told the closest child. As Xena's eyes adjusted to the light she was shocked to see how young the boy really was. He couldn't have been older than four years old. She felt her fists clench and she fought the urge to hurt everyone who had played a hand at this.

Xena reached her hand out closer to the boy but he backed away.

"It's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you," Xena said, with a softness she rarely allowed her voice to reach. But the boy shook his head.

"I know you're scared," she said. "But I'm gonna bring you back home, back to your mother and father."

The boy nodded and reached his hand out for Xena to grab and used both hands to pull him up. Once the boy was safely on the ground he embraced Xena in a surprise hug. The smallest of a smile settled on her face but she quickly returned to the task at hand carrying the rest of the children up. When she was done she gave a final warning to the kidnappers and sent the children back home.


End file.
